Chartered Management Degree Apprentice Review

I am a Degree Apprentice within Visa’s B2B Travel team, where I support the delivery of Visa’s commercial payments strategy across travel intermediaries, issuers, and partners. My role combines client engagement, data analysis, and project delivery, enabling me to contribute directly to both strategic and operational priorities.
I work closely with account management teams to support key B2B Travel clients by joining internal and external calls, contributing to quarterly business reviews, maintaining trackers, and ensuring actions are followed through effectively. Alongside this, I deliver data‑driven insights on topics such as virtual card usage, regional performance, and incentive tracking, which are used to inform client conversations, sales narratives, and senior stakeholder decision‑making.
I also support and lead project‑based initiatives, including internal enablement activity, research projects, and cross‑functional coordination with teams such as Product, Marketing Services, Visa Consulting & Analytics, and Client Services. This exposure has helped me develop strong communication, stakeholder management, and project planning skills, while gaining a holistic understanding of how Visa operates across B2B Travel.
Overall, my role allows me to apply academic learning in a real‑world setting while delivering tangible value to Visa’s B2B Travel objectives.

Visa’s Degree Apprenticeship Programme is very well organised and clearly structured, with a strong balance between academic learning, on‑the‑job experience, and ongoing development support.
The programme has a clear framework from the outset, including defined programme length, qualification outcomes, and expectations around rotations, study time, and performance management. Apprentices follow a structured degree pathway alongside their role, with study time and clearly sequenced modules. However, it can be difficult to balance work and academic commitments, despite having supportive managers. Each rotation has objectives and key results, with mid‑point and end‑of‑rotation reviews that provide feedback and direction. However, as the programme progresses, less check-ins are held with the early careers team.

We receive a fair amount of support from our employer, particularly since the employment of a new apprenticeship lead. However, check-ins can be more ad-hoc and Visa don't request much information from the degree provider so it can make the hard work feel more pointless. It can be difficult at times balancing work and studying.

We have monthly 1:1s with our performance coach which are useful. We have 1 or 2 workshops too per module. However, the deadlines can feel unreasonable and difficult to achieve, particularly towards the end of the programme.

To some extent, the qualification helps me to perform better in my role as there's some overlap between what I am learning academically which can be applied to my role.

Yes

Visa is a strong organisation to work for as a degree apprentice because it offers a well‑structured programme combined with meaningful, real‑world responsibility. Apprentices complete a CMI‑accredited degree while working four days a week, ensuring learning is consistently applied in a professional context. By completing a rotational structure, apprentices can gain exposure to a wide range of business areas. This can help shape their future careers, helping them to develop their skillsets. Visa has an amazing culture with lovely people. Despite being in payments, the culture more similarly reflects a Tech company, with a good work life balance (only worsened from the degree as opposed to work which can be completed between 9-5). The compensation and benefits are good for the business too, with strong support for early careers.