Software Engineer Review
at bp
Higher Level Apprenticeship
Software Engineering
London
Review Submitted: March 2024
Overall Rating
3.7 /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!
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
This part only takes up one day a fortnight, so it's not so bad.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
I've overcome many challenges (individually and collaboratively) and I've been forced to think in new ways.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
How much support do you receive from your employer?
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
There are regular catch-ups and we can ask our contact questions. The problem is that guidance can be unclear, requiring follow ups. Communication has also been poor at times, with important documents and emails not being sent out on time or at all. On a couple of occasions we've been asked for last minute "urgent" documents after a week with no communications from them.
Our assessor was switched from BCS to A4D halfway through which required re-writing and getting manager approval on multiple documents. We were also told we needed to re-write our EPA projects to fit a specific template 3 weeks into our 6 week project (which was shortened from 9 after we started). We were not provided with the template until this 3 week point.
We also only received training one day per fortnight, whereas apprentice training is meant to take up 20% of your time. I don't know if they count writing up your apprentice portfolio and reports as "training" but I wouldn't.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
We did two bootcamps with our training provider. The first bootcamp was Javascript and covered all the basics of data structures, algorithms (binary search and bubble sort of course), async programming, etc.... The second bootcamp was a year later and covered exactly the same stuff but in C#.
Doing real work in your day job is by far the most valuable learning here as it teaches you how things are really done and gives you good experience with industry standard tools. The training is just there to make sure you know the basics of what you're doing so you can get on with real world practical experience.
If you're interested in the field, good with computers and with little prior experience then it's a great starting point. If you're passionate about the field, have experience coding and do it in your free time then it's an easy way to prove you know what you're talking about and get into the industry. Chances are alot of the training content will not be new to you and you will learn far more from your day job.
The greatest value of the qualification, in my opinion, is that if you're good at what you do then you can step into a real job and prove it without having to spend 3 years at university. It's a great gateway into the industry.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend bp to a friend?
Why?
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to bp?
Your first day (maybe even first week) might be chaotic but once you get settled in it's fine.