The application process was very simple. I had to respond to the online application with a cover letter and a copy of my CV. Once selected, I came into the Harlow site, where I was interviewed and asked to deliver a preprepared presentation.
However, I know others in my cohort attend an assessment centre. The simplicity of this process is rare. Many school leavers, myself included, are consistently frustrated by overly complex application processes, that don’t allow you to put your best self forward in front of another human.
My experience has been fantastic. I have been fortunate to move around the business and work in different business areas, where I have been able to work on a variety of projects and programmes, which have all increased the breadth and depth of my knowledge and experience.
However, joining during Covid was not easy. Working from home is tough because it prevents the passive absorption of knowledge, that I would’ve benefitted from in the office. At the start this did making grasping concepts and understanding different technologies difficult. But now, I am well adapted to working from home.
Completing this apprenticeship has allowed me to earn a degree in project management and achieve my APM PMQ. Not only that, I have been given the opportunity to do real meaningful work.
Never once treated as “just an apprentice”. Even now, I am managing my own project and contributing to the larger programme, doing unique work from the rest of my team. And it is this work that has allowed me to critically analyse the difference between theory and practice, so that I could be successful on the degree course.
Talk to us. There is now a large cohort of people within RUK who have completed the apprenticeship scheme. While the course design may differ slightly, we have lots of good experience, specific advice and general knowledge that we are happy to share so that they can be successful too.
