Project Controller (APM Apprentice) Review

Item: Project Controller (APM Apprentice) at Thales
Rating: 4.4
Author: Anonymous

at Thales

Higher Level Apprenticeship

Project Management

Templecombe

Review Submitted: March 2026

Overall Rating

4.4 /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!

4/5 - Overview of Role

4/5 - Skills Development

4.6/5 - Structure and Support

Overview of Role

Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:

4/5

Supporting project managers in their projects via monitoring the data, whilst maintaining the company-specific governance procedures.
I update schedules, and monitor budgets and resources.

To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

4/5

Every month looks a little different and the monthly structure is useful - sometimes it’s a bit repetitive, but this comes with the nature of the role. All projects and teams are unique!

Skills Development

Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

4/5

All of my skills, professional and personal have been given the space to develop. I am more confident in using our tools & systems, as well as in myself - utilising communication and presentation skills.
4/5 because it is sometimes tricky to understand if the information is new - and I’m still getting my head around it all over 6 months later! It’s a long process.

Structure and Support

How well organised/structured is your programme?

4/5

The APM apprenticeship is structured well and is chronological in the lifecycle of a project, but it is impossible to align this with what we do at work. If you have good support, then your personal development plan can be adapted to fit what you are learning on a monthly basis - so you can learn information and put it into practice.

How much support do you receive from your employer?

5/5

Loads! My line manager and project control lead are stars. My coach is also available to me as much as he can be - and anybody onsite is always willing to help, such as previous apprentices or other team members.

How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?

5/5

My coach has regular meetings with me, every 6 weeks, and a few with my line manager per year.
I cannot emphasise enough how much support I have had - no complaints.

How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?

4/5

With the learning aligns with my BAU at work, it definitely helps me perform better in my role.

Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)

5/5

I volunteer all the time - as an apprentice you get 80hrs of volunteering annually, and it’s important to utilise this! This is great for meeting new people and team building, as well as giving back to the community.
Furthermore, the socials are very regular - whether this is an apprentice day out to a theme park, a retirement do at a local pub, travel up to other sites, ninja warrior team building, site rugby matches, evening galas or even just a team lunch to a McDonalds!

Recommendations & Advice

Would you recommend Thales to a friend?

Yes

Why?

I think the benefits of my apprenticeship are incredible - and the experience gained is invaluable. The apprentice and grad community at my site is very close and the support I have received from team members, my line manager and coach has been immeasurable.