Software Engineer - Degree Apprentice Review

My role mainly includes writing and producing software for products within the company, whilst being given the opportunity to learn on the job. I am in the office every day I am not at University, where I am given tasks by my placement manager to produce software for the customer, as well as write tests for the software produced to evidence clearly. I will also be involved in reviews where I am tasked identify risks and incorrections in co-worker's code, and recommend fixes.

The structure of the programme is well organised, it allows apprentices to regularly move around the company, allowing us to get clear and regular feedback from placement managers and yearly pay rises based on performance. The structure of who to go to with concerns or questions is clear as well, allowing us to easily know who to contact for every situation. The only lack in structure is the pay rise system, which allows those who took a gap year to earn more in their 2nd year than those who didn't take a gap year. For example, the maximum I can earn in my 2nd year is 22,000 with a perfect performance review, but for an apprentice who turns 21 in their 2nd year, due to taking a gap year before the apprenticeship, gets their pay automatically boosted higher than this limit due to the pay being less than minimum wage for a 21 year old. If the programme was more organised, this wouldn't be an issue.

I receive lots of support from all areas of the business. HR are great at supporting us with any questions and concerns we may have, and prioritise issues to resolve them quickly and effectively. They also have regular check-ins with us to make sure everything is going okay. Placement managers also understand their role, giving us lots of support to learn on the job. A common thing is that instead of a placement manager giving you work, they will first ask what work you are interested in, what do you want to get out of the placement, and how they can help you do this. If you feel other work would be more beneficial to your learning, the placement manager is happy to assign you that instead to give you the best opportunity.

The university lectures are good and informative, but sometimes are lacking some core content that we need to know. They give us lots of tools to assist our learning, such as automatic note makers that summarise lectures for us to make the information quick and available, and other revision / flash card resources. However, these applications often go down for extended periods of time, with no backup which can leave us a bit set back. Other than this, they are great at responding to questions / concerns we have with modules and allowing us the time to complete course work.

Absolutely, it works both ways. I often learn the theory at my training provider, and then put it into practise in my role at MBDA. It can also benefit my university work, learning even more at work and being able to put it into my course work completed for my degree. There is a lot of crossover, and it massively benefits me at work by allowing me to already have a good understanding where I'm expected to have none when joining a new placement.

Yes

The friendly, relaxed environment, support in their role given to employees and wide range of personal benefits and opportunities make it a great company to work for in general. The apprenticeship has so many development opportunities and support throughout the scheme, and gives apprentices the freedom to choose where they want to prioritise their development and what placements / roles they can experience makes it a great scheme to recommend to friends.