Apprentice Assistant Directorate Accountant Review

Item: Apprentice Assistant Directorate Accountant at The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Rating: 4.5
Author: Anonymous

at The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Level 3 Apprenticeship

Accounting, Finance

Newcastle upon Tyne

Review Submitted: April 2026

Overall Rating

4.5 /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

5/5 - 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

Financial Management for departments within the hospitals; task included variance analysis, adjustments to the ledger, entering accruals, monthly reporting to senior finance staff and supporting the departments with recruitment and budget management.

To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

4/5

Apprenticeship provided through Kaplan, studying AAT. Technical knowledge taught very well, great resources given and lots of exam guidance to ensure success. Portfolio element was a bit repetitive but both learning provider and employer ensured plenty of material to fill portfolio and give enough content to complete professional discussion at the end of the apprenticeship. Employer gave loads of support, ensuring I had 20% of my hours dedicated to study per week, allowing me to rearrange my study days as needed to meet work commitments. Apprentice support group in the workplace to discuss progress with other learners which was really helpful.

Skills Development

Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

5/5

Had no technical accounting knowledge prior to beginning this role and apprenticeship. Learned all I needed for my role on the job and supplemented by the theoretical knowledge learned from AAT.

Structure and Support

How well organised/structured is your programme?

5/5

Many apprentices have been through the department and Kaplan have a talent coach who looks after all the staff in my organisation so there is a great familiarity with my workplace. Able to seek guidance from past apprentices who still work for the organisation. Managers are very familiar with managing apprentices.

How much support do you receive from your employer?

5/5

Very good with allowing time for study, exams etc. Lots of opportunities for shadowing to gain relevant Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours as the organisation is large so there will be someone who can show you what is needed.

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

5/5

Kaplan (Particularly Be who looks after apprentices in this organisation) are very proactive with arranging reviews and providing learning materials and seminars etc.

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

4/5

Definitely helped my confidence, soft skills are a big focus for Kaplan so given me skills to use in interviews, presentations, appraisals etc. Technical knowledge is useful too although each organisation has its own way of operating.

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

4/5

There is a Health and Wellbeing group who organise events, such as giveaways, socials etc. There is a Staff Social Club you can join and they offer discounted tickets to events in the area.