Software Engineering

Mo390

What to do to secure a place for a degree - apprenticeship in software engineering

Reply 1

hotpud

Original post by Mo390

What to do to secure a place for a degree - apprenticeship in software engineering

Apply and then go through the process?

Reply 2

Mo390

Original post by hotpud

Apply and then go through the process?

People who got a place, what subjects did you take and what extra things did you to do when trying to get a place?

Reply 3

hotpud

Original post by Mo390

People who got a place, what subjects did you take and what extra things did you to do when trying to get a place?

Sadly there isn't a formula and commerce is not like education where you simply have to get a certain grade to progress to the next level. You need to do your research. What are companies that are offering apprenticeships looking for? What skills are they looking for? What type of employees do they have? What do you bring to the company rather than what does the company do for you? Businesses exist to make a profit and you working there is about increasing that profit through the work you do. So why should they employ you, rather than what do I need to do to tick all the boxes?

Reply 4

apprentinsideryt

Original post by Mo390

What to do to secure a place for a degree - apprenticeship in software engineering

Here's a roadmap I'd recommend you follow to get a degree apprenticeship in software engineering. These steps helped me get 8 degree apprenticeship offers personally, and I've also used these to help people get offers from companies like JLR, Amazon and Bank of England. So this roadmap can help you too if you follow it step-by-step.

1) Understand what tech/software engineering degree apprenticeships are available and what they involve. The main type is called Digital and Technology Solutions, and you can find out more about how to get one of these here - https://youtu.be/JCKZo_G08qI?si=dlPEpBEA3TGBsMvo.

2) Get work experience. This is super important as you'll learn lots of knowledge and skills which will make you highly employable. My work experience was the number 1 part of my applications. Here's a list of work experience opportunities available right now - https://sumptuous-book-021.notion.site/Best-work-experience-for-DEGREE-APPRENTICESHIP-APPLICATIONS-928aea8fa48441df9755d76afef8e470.

3) As well as work experience, it's important to do other things like volunteering and online courses to build up your application. Here's a checklist of things you want to complete before you apply - https://youtu.be/gcKZMLmqUsw?si=RnfAre63rxEWsegB.

4) Now that you have a huge wealth of experience, you need to start crafting your CV and cover letter, as most companies ask for these in their applications. It is important that you make these really good, because they are the FIRST things the recruiter will see.
- How to write a high quality CV (including a sample CV) - https://youtu.be/mBDZJMTmUc0?si=t0xzcI01QS1g2YnS
- How to write a winning cover letter (including a sample cover letter) - https://youtu.be/e3kXL5gyi0w

5) Go and apply to the companies, and I would recommend applying to lots (10+) as they are very competitive. Use RateMyApprenticeship as well as the government Find An Apprenticeship service. Here are some big companies you can look to apply to.
- Amazon
- JLR
- JP Morgan
- Rolls Royce
- AstraZeneca
- BBC
- Capgemini
- PwC
- Ernst & Young

6) Get ready for the application process which can include online testing, video interviews and assessment centres. For this, you want to practise as much as possible, that's how you will get the best results. Here's a more detailed video on how to succeed in all the different parts of the assessment centre - https://youtu.be/kntUzLRljwI?si=W8DVc1oaTi5t0Xwl&t=3706.

Hope that helps, and good luck with your applications. You should be really successful if you follow this roadmap. Let me know what you think.

Reply 5

Mo390

Thanks for the roadmap, would you also recommend making projects like a website or such to put onto the CV, currently i have no experience in this, so I'm not too sure whether it will be worth the effort to do so.