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EDAS Software Engineer Review

at BAE Systems

Degree Apprenticeship

Software Engineering

Brough, East Riding of Yorkshire

Review Submitted: March 2025

Overall Rating

2.4 /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!

2.5/5 - Overview of Role
3/5 - Skills Development
1.8/5 - Structure and Support

Overview of Role

Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
3/5
As an apprentice, I undertake 4 6 months placements across the first 2 years. For these placements I join one of the software teams on site and take on some of their workload, the same as any normal employee. This work can span the full software life cycle and be for real-world products delivered to a customer. In my current placement, I attend daily stand up meetings with the team where we review the team's kanban board and report on progress. My current placement keeps me busy, but I have had previous placements that did not have any work for me to complete so instead gave me dummy work or no work at all, leaving me to my own devices. This is the drawback of 6 month placements as some teams may not want to invest the time into your development, as they know they don't have you for long.
I got half a day a week to complete work towards a Diploma in Engineering and Manufacturing, a secondary qualification the course provides beyond the degree, however, this the scheme is now different for future intakes, who instead work towards a portfolio.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
2/5
Enjoyment of the program is dependent on current placement and current work, as I have had better experiences in some teams than others. Currently, I cannot say I particularly look forward to coming into work, however, this is a combination of not yet being settled in a new team and being so busy outside of work completing college assignments.

Skills Development

Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
3/5
Technically, I have expanded my knowledge of all areas of the software life cycle. I have gained experience writing requirements, producing designs, writing code in multiple new languages, creating tests. It has also enabled me to expand my soft skills and confidence by working regular with other members of the business. That being said, this has all been taught through experience as the education provider for the apprenticeship has taught me nothing. This is due to a combination of he course being outdated and staff not being properly equipped to deliver it. This leaves me feeling like I may have missed core concepts and learning compared to others who have solely gone to university.

Structure and Support

How well organised/structured is your programme?
2/5
The structure of my week at work is concrete and efficient, however, the broader structure of the program needs work. There have been improvements such as regular catch up meetings with the Early Careers team to allow for communication with them, however, a lot of time it feels like I am left to my own devices to figure things out. For an apprenticeship that has ran the same way for decades, they do not seem to have anything concrete in place beyond the fact I have progress reviews every 3 months and work in placement for 2.5 days a week, complete my diploma 0.5 days a week and go to college 2 days a week. Placements are organised seemingly sporadically as often you find out a new placement on short notice and the line manager for your next placement knows little to nothing about you or your ability. This means there is always a period at the start of new placements were you are left whilst the team figures out what to do with you, which could be avoided if they are informed sooner and given a better idea of work I need to complete to finish my diploma. Finally, I believe the best image I can give in relation to organisation is that I don't assume anymore that my manager and skills coach even know what placement I am currently in, never mind what kind of work I am completing.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
1/5
In relation to personal wellbeing, whilst I have not required this myself, I have been told by others that the support they have received has been superb and that the business has been very accommodating, which makes me more confident in seeking this support myself. However, I believe support for my professional development has been minimal, from an Early Careers point of view. My placements, on the whole, have always taken a keen interest in ensuring that I am learning something and trying to help as much as they can, even if this is impeding sometimes by how busy they may be. Early Careers, however, seem to have no interest in whether I learn anything or not as they only care that I finish my apprenticeship, not that I finish with all the skills I need to be a software engineer. Upon raising concerns that I feel like I am not learning what I should and feel unequipped to do my job, I am frequently told that my expectations of myself are too high and that I am 'only an apprentice' so I'm not even expected to do much. I hold my ability in high regards, hence why I admittedly have high expectations of myself, however, I believe this should be promoted and accommodated instead of being put down.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
1/5
The apprenticeship scheme now has a different training provider for future intakes, which I hear is going well. My experience with my current training provider has been very poor as it is by far the worst educational institute I have had the displeasure of attending. Pastorally, my current tutors are fantastic and I know that they care, which is great. However, in regards to teaching, I have been delivered very little in almost 2 years, meaning a lot of work to complete assignments has been self-taught. If I did not have the drive to do all the work myself, my grades would likely be barely a pass. It has reached the point that I know most of the assignments I submit, particularly those that are practical, will be above the comprehension of my tutors. One of my tutors I do not even submit drafts to, as I know she knows less than I do so cannot give me any useful insight.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
1/5
Everything I have learned has been through my job and my own personal work. I have learned content and skills completing assignments, however, I do not give the college any credit for this as it has all been self-guided learning and research.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
4/5
There is an apprentice council onsite which I know organises events and such occasionally , however, I am not a part of this, as these events are never to my interests. There are regular professional networking opportunities with visitors on-site or sometimes the option to attend seminars and the likes away from site.

Recommendations & Advice

Would you recommend BAE Systems to a friend?
Yes
Why?
Despite its flaws, I believe the scheme is slowly getting better due to overhauls and expansion of the Early Careers team, as there are now individuals in there who I believe are committed to actually making a difference. I hope that these individuals are given the time and the freedom to implement some of their ideas and that this drive is not suffocated out of them. I believe I have learned more on the job than I probably realise and made connections with professionals who I have a lot to learn from. Even beyond this, at a minimum, a free degree, an above average salary and 4 years experience at BAE Systems for your CV is enough reason to suggest the scheme to others.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to BAE Systems?
The company gets thousands of applications meaning they cannot all be filtered through by hand. This means that they are filtered using an AI, which means your application needs to include what looks good to an AI, over a person. The best advice is include lots of corporate buzzwords, the company values that are available online and research BAE Systems interview questions, as there are plenty available online also.
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