Software Engineer Apprentice Review

Item: Software Engineer Apprentice at KPMG
Rating: 4.4
Author: Anonymous

at KPMG

Degree Apprenticeship

Engineering

London

Review Submitted: March 2023

Overall Rating

4.4 /5

The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!

5/5 - Overview of Role

5/5 - Skills Development

3.8/5 - Structure and Support

Overview of Role

Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:

5/5

As an apprentice, the main concept is learning. At KPMG your co-workers are understanding of this and provide as much help as needed and make you feel as an equal. You are set tasks such as unit tests, front end and back end developing. They allow you to experience different sides of software engineering such as the development side and the QA side.

To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

5/5

It is an amazing experience and as soon as I learnt what a degree apprenticeship was it was my main goal for post-sixth-form. The degree apprenticeship at KPMG, for me, has been great as I have begun to learn the balance between university and work, which at first I found difficult but my managers were very understanding of it. I have the opportunity to learn at university and gain real life experience to practice what I learn which for me has always been the best way as I am a practical learner. It helps a lot that KPMG tries to coincide our experience with our learning.

Skills Development

Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

5/5

I have obtained:
programming knowledge
The role in development focused on C# coding as well as Javascript, CSS and HTML for front end development. I have had training sessions on REACT as well as C#. In my time at university, we are focused on Java programming and have been taught Object Oriented Programming, Procedural programming so far.
Unit testing experience
My first task for the company was a unit test and it was my first chance to get my name on the dashboard with the other developers
QA testing practice
I am undergoing training for Testing at the moment and learning its concepts and its execution with training on automation to come
Scrum knowledge
There is a Scrum business lifestyle at KPMG and it has been something I have learnt along the way

Structure and Support

How well organised/structured is your programme?

4/5

During our beginning we had a ten week training period which was great as it gave an insight but with university work it began to be a bit difficult to keep up however with the support of other apprentices and sticking to a schedule it was great. When we started out, we were shown in a meeting the plan for our apprenticeship and it has been stuck to so far so I would say KPMG has shown great organisation with the degree apprenticeship. The only improvement tip I'd give is to take into account the time required for our university work.

How much support do you receive from your employer?

5/5

We are set up with a tech buddy and a performance manager. Our tech buddy is available to us for any help we may require or any questions we may have. This to me has been a great help because they are not only friendly but push you to ask questions and are happy to help. With our performance managers, they make sure we are doing well and also help with any advice they can which is great as you feel very supported.

How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?

3/5

There is a monthly catch up set up with my manager where, he check our progress and has a conversation with us making sure we're ok and listening to our concerns. As I am currently in a separate sector currently experiencing their first apprentices I would say there were some obstacles but overall I feel very supported in my progress to my degree.

How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?

2/5

I do believe that the experience I gain from my company is a greater benefit to my knowledge in my field

Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)

5/5

there are multiple activities throughout the year in terms of social events, some self funded others funded by the company but all equally as fun.

Recommendations & Advice

Would you recommend KPMG to a friend?

Yes

Why?

They were one of the only apprenticeships to accept me and due to family issues I was not able to provide my audio interview by the deadline however they still gave me a chance and were very understanding. Also my experience here has been amazing and all of my team is extremely helpful when it comes to performing tasks in my project.