EDAS Software Apprentice Review

I am a member of a software development team and will be involved in all aspects of the development lifecycle, including requirements, design, coding, reviewing, verifying and testing. We are treated as just another engineer on the team, but extra support is offered by teams for apprentices. We get the opportunity to work on multiple teams throughout the duration of our apprenticeship, usually rotating teams every 6 - 12 months.

The apprenticeship scheme has completely changed since I started, however in my experience there is a good separation between time spent on project and time spent on university/diploma studies, with a dedicated 3 project days and 2 self-study days a week. Everyone I have worked with have been aware of my commitments and there is good support in place from work and the university to accommodate any changes to the structure. The university itself is the weak link in regards to organisation and structure, usually not giving us timetables or assignments far enough in advance, however BAE have changed training provider for new apprentices so this may no longer be the case but I cannot say.

Most people in the office have worked with apprentices or been apprentices themselves and so are aware of the level of support required, meaning they are generally happy to help with any problems you may have. They are also aware of what we have to complete regarding our diploma, which is entirely evidence based, and will generally ask what areas of diploma you need to focus on and will try to give you work relevant to those areas where they can. This is especially important as you get further into the apprenticeship and more of your diploma is ticked off, as you can focus on gathering evidence for the areas you haven't been able to tackle yet. There is also really good support in place for any wellbeing concerns, with wellbeing support available on site and online.

As mentioned above, the training provider for the apprenticeship scheme has changed since I started, from University of Central Lancashire to Blackpool College, so this feedback is only for the former. From my experience with UCLan, the level of support varies depending on the lecturer, however most were able to be contacted by email/Microsoft Teams and were happy to help where they could, as well as answering any questions during lectures and lab sessions.

As mentioned above, the training provider for the apprenticeship scheme has changed since I started, from University of Central Lancashire to Blackpool College, so this feedback is only for the former. The qualification I was working towards, and have now achieved, was a BSc (Hons) in Software Engineering. I felt that the modules were a good mix of reinforcing concepts we were learning on the job, such as programming modules in a variety of languages, including Java, Python, C# and C++, and a module on Agile methodologies, and introducing other areas that we may experience in our careers down the line, such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. However, there were some modules that I questioned the necessity for, such as a programming assignment using Dafny in third year and a computational thinking module in second year that essentially re-taught us GCSE/A-Level Computer Science theory without much further depth.

Yes

They are a company that can offer a lot of opportunities if you want them - you get out what you put in. The pay is reasonable for an apprentice and the benefits are good, including annual performance-based bonuses and pay rises during the apprenticeship, a good pension scheme and a share scheme. It is a great place to start your software development career.