Technology Graduate Review

Positive, I've got the chance to do 4 different 6-month rotations. VMO2 has a very welcoming culture towards future careers and a big focus on training.
I did not enjoy my first rotation, which was picked for me unlike the other ones which I was able to select myself. It would be nice to be able to select a first rotation as the first 6 months now feel like a bit of a waste of time.

First rotation - providing support to delivery team. Can't say I enjoyed the work but the people were welcoming and took the time to teach me.
Second rotation - working in our engineering lab. Work was very interesting, my main role was making a system to automate the testing of optical passive equipment. Had the chance to work with state-of-the-art equipment and learn from experienced engineers.

I feel for the most part my contributions are very much welcomed. However, it can be hard to feel that contribution is meaningful when on a 6 month rotation. Not a lot of time to settle in and learn the ropes, especially in a very technical role.

Pay is a bit more than what I've seen for most graduate schemes. Pay after finishing the grad scheme seems to vary, don't know what to expect at the moment. Benefits are good, we get health insurance, a lot of discounts, eye checks and glasses (although this is mandatory in any job when using a computer). There's also salary sacrifice cycle to work and car leasing, though I don't know anyone who has used these. Pension matching up to 10% is nice. Birthday off as well.

Very well - we are encouraged to build a good network and rotating through different roles gives us a good level of visibility. I feel positive about starting a career here.

We are assigned a mentor and a buddy at the start. The buddy system is a bit too informal to be of any use, and seems like most people don't have much contact with their buddy after the start (it's usually a graduate in the year above so there is contact but not in the context of being a buddy).
For me the mentor system has been very helpful. I have a good mentor who's given me great advice I don't think I would've heard elsewhere.
Line managers is somewhat luck of the draw. I've had a good experience personally, particularly in my internship and second grad rotation, but definitely heard of people who have had managers who aren't interested in helping them develop. However, most seem to be good and understand what the grad scheme is about.

There is a general culture of having a good work-life balance. Some people do seem to neglect it and work too much but there doesn't often seem to be an expectation to do so, especially for a grad.

Very much a welcoming atmosphere. A bit more laid back than a lot of corporate environments, t-shirt and jeans in the office is the norm. There's a good amount of emphasis on training, not just in future careers but the company as a whole - for example in my department we get a training hour put in the calendar every friday.

There are initiatives for DEI, neurodiversity, disability network, women's network, LGBT+, carers and mental wellbeing.
These are well signposted and accessible.

Yes

Good place to start a career, loads of exposure to different areas, inclusive and welcoming and decent benefits + compensation.

First rotation did not match expectations - it is a technology grad scheme and I was placed in a very non-technical role.
Second rotation was more like what I had in mind.