Junior IT Consultant Review

I have had such an incredible experience in my programme and I am thoroughly excited to see what the future holds. Just some of the things that have made the programme so enjoyable thus far include: the family-like feel of Lean Tree as a business, the fantastic mentor strcuture that the business have in place to support, the huge and rewarding projects I have undertaken and perhaps most importantly, the personal development that I have felt within myself since the beginning of the course. Lean Tree have played such a pivotal role in creating a pleasurable experience for myself as an apprentice and I have loved every last moment.

There are hundreds upon hundreds of new skills that I have learnt and vast amounts of existing skills I have developed. The first one is attaining the skill of self-starting. The transition from school life where teachers tell you what to do, to work-life where the onus is on you to complete tasks can be very difficult. However, from the beginning Lean Tree have provided me with such a fantastic support network of which have taught me how they break down tasks, tackle problems and manage their workload. Another vital skill that I have developed is time-management. Within my role, time management and context switching are both prominent and crucial to success. Through my daily tasks of client engagements, project-focusing, internal meetings and documentation creation I have learnt to become extremely good at time-management. A skill that I had previously but that has developed massively is communication, more specifically in a professional setting. Prior to joining Lean Tree I was unfamiliar with this type of communication, and talking in front of large groups which I found uncomfortable. However, through the plethora of opportunites that I have been allowed to take, Lean Tree have enabled me to overcome this fear and become a confident communicator in calls and via email. Whilst this only covers a snapshot of the skills I have learnt/developed, these skills have contributed to me becoming the competent professional I am today and I am extremely grateful to Lean Tree for providing the platform for me to succeed.

Lean Tree are partnered with the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce which regularly hold professional events. I have attended a multidue of events that have provided exceptional lessons for my growth, some fo which include rejection therapy - how to deal with 'No' and a Professional Networking Event. Additinally, the company run quarterly "Townhalls". In these events, all employees meet up at the office and senior leadership presents the latest business goals and iniatives. This creates at atmoshphere is shared goal-setting and achieving. After every event, all employees will participate in a fun social event. Examples of these include: simulated F1 driving and a winter wonderland event which increases team chemistry and allows everyone to catch-up.

Be yourself. Come in with and open mind and always ask questions if you do not understand something as someone will always be there to explain. Apply yourself as much as you can and grab every opportunity, because there's is certainly no shortage of fantastic and exciting opportunies at Lean Tree. Lastly, enjoy the process. Lean Tree are such an incredible organisation for apprentices to join and are always rewarding those who are constantly learning, developing and contributing value to the business.