Level 4 Software Developer Apprentice Review

Item: Level 4 Software Developer Apprentice at Lloyds Banking Group
Rating: 4.3
Author: Anonymous

at Lloyds Banking Group

Higher Level Apprenticeship

Software Engineering

Halifax

Review Submitted: April 2026

Overall Rating

4.3 /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!

4.5/5 - Overview of Role

5/5 - Skills Development

4/5 - Structure and Support

Overview of Role

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

5/5

As a software developer apprentice, I was put into a data team in the role of a data engineer. My team are heavily involved in a large migration of data from a legacy system to a modern system. The work involves a lot of unknowns and problem solving, as well as programming in SQL, Python and dbt (data build tool). Alongside that, we use a lot of cloud resources with Google Cloud Platform, so my role also sometimes involves IaC (Infrastructure as Code).
On a day-to-day basis, I spend a lot of time programming and setting up accesses and permissions.

To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

4/5

I really enjoy it, the team is great, the people are fantastic. Alongside the work we have a lot of laughs and there is a lot of psychological safety, which means I feel safe to form my own opinions and add my own perspectives to discussions.
The only negative I would say is finding the right balance between work and the apprenticeship - sometimes you can have a lot of work put on you while having to write portfolios, which is sometimes difficult.

Skills Development

Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

5/5

I've learned a tonne about communication, collaboration and general teamworking. As for technical skills, I've learned a lot about infrastructure, cloud computing, as well as SQL and dbt, and general data practices.

Structure and Support

How well organised/structured is your programme?

5/5

It's very well organised, with good communication as well. The structure is good as well, nothing is rushed or dragged.

How much support do you receive from your employer?

3/5

I receive a tonne of support from my employer, especially my line manager who is always uplifting me.
The only downside is I've heard this is not the case for quite a few apprentices. With some being forced to stay in teams that aren't sufficiently engineering-centric to support the apprenticeship, with rude line managers, anti-social teams or unqualified/disrespectful mentors. This is made worse by the fact that when they reach out to the appropriate people, they cannot switch to another team.
I and a lot of other apprentices are very lucky to have a good role, but some unlucky few are left without support in a bad situation.

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

3/5

I always get support when I ask for it.
The only negative is that some apprentices don't and they're line managers do not prioritise the apprenticeship, when that's what should be prioritised.

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

4/5

So far, the course has taught me a lot about programming, databases, agile principles, security and testing, which are sometimes applicable in my role, but not always.

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

There is at least one social activity in my team every month, and they are always a lot of fun.

Recommendations & Advice

Would you recommend Lloyds Banking Group to a friend?

Yes

Why?

Great people culture - 95% of the people that work here are super nice, kind and respectful. It is not like the corporate culture that you see in films at all.