National Appreticeship Week 2024 at Savient Limited

Monday:

The theme for National Apprenticeship Week 2024 is “Skills for Life”. We encourage everyone to consider how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career, and employers to develop a workforce with future ready skills.

Here at Savient we are delighted to have Ben and Samantha, our apprentice software engineers who are valuable additions to the team.

Ben joined following his industry placement year while completing his digital, production and design T level and last September signed up for his level four software engineering apprenticeship with QA Limited. Ben has made an impact with the product team by being involved in daily standups, contributing to the planning and review meetings as well as using his skills to code and implement some key features and improvements to the recent launch of Savitrace.

Samantha only joined in January 2024 after deciding on a career change to pursue her desire to be a software engineer. She is also keen to get started with her level four software engineering apprenticeship. Already we are seeing how instrumental Samantha will be to Savient’s ambitious CSR and outreach activities. Currently working with the current T level students on our new and improved STEM champion workshop which we will be delivering to Ribston Hall School in July.

As well as the ability to provide Ben and Samantha with the workplace environment to achieve their apprenticeship we see the importance to develop those skills for life which are transferable to any job.

Wednesday:

We held our first lunch and learn session and took time out of our busy schedule to hear from other members of the Savient team and their experiences of apprenticeships.

It was insightful to hear how their experience of the apprenticeship route, the benefits it had on their career and how an apprenticeship was the perfect opportunity for changing career, learning new skills but having the work experience within a work environment.

We discussed those key skills for life which form the foundations for any apprenticeship and the importance of spending time in the workplace and with other likeminded software engineers.

• problem solving - a key skill for software development, understanding a requirement and finding a solution.
• critical thinking - the impact of what you develop has on others.
• effective communication skills - written and verbal with all members of the team.
• decision-making - when sprint planning, helping and supporting others.
• creative thinking - something we encourage every day.
• empathy, wellbeing and coping with stress and emotions - everyone knows how important it is at Savient about self-care and providing a working environment that you can ask for help or support and resources you need.

Thanks to everyone from the Savient team who attended today and hope you found it interesting.

Thursday:

Ben is an Apprentice Software Engineer at Savient and joined the team in September 2023. Prior to that Ben was studying at Cirencester college and during his second year completed his T level industry placement year with the Savient team. Ben was able to apply the skills that he had learned at Cirencester college while completing his digital, production and design course as well as learning new skills like JavaScript from the experienced software engineers within Savient, who were happy to share their knowledge and expertise. Ben is a valuable member of the product team and in recent weeks has helped with the development of our new Savitrace product. He has used both his technical and soft skills to give him the confidence to excel during his placement and Savient are excited to give Ben the support to achieve his Level four software engineering apprenticeship with the support of QA Ltd.

Here we share the Q&A session with Ben and his experience to date of is software engineer apprenticeship route.

Firstly, tell us why did you choose the T level route?

Because I knew I wanted to do this kind of work in software development but couldn’t decide which 2 other A Levels I would have done alongside Computer Science. That as well as the fact that the large amount of work experience would look good on my CV made it a good choice.

Can you tell me more about why you decided to take the apprenticeship route?
I had already felt the benefits of gaining experience working while learning and completing my T Level placement, so an apprenticeship was appealing and felt like the natural next step.

Were there any specific factors that influenced your decision to continue your apprenticeship journey with Savient Limited?
They are a relatively local company to me, and over the year I got to know everyone while completing my placement. Everyone was very knowledgeable and supportive, and the products seemed interesting, and I wanted to help with the software development and use my skills.

What do you hope to achieve following your apprenticeship?
I hope to have gained the required skills and knowledge to become a fully qualified software developer.

Friday:

Samantha is an Apprentice Software Engineer at Savient and joined the team in January 2024. Prior to joining Savient she graduated from the University of Gloucestershire in 2017 with a degree in video games design and further developed her skills with courses at Gloucestershire College. She has previous work experience in retail, administration, and contracts with the NHS in both administration, and multimedia design. Samantha is a great addition to the Savient team and with her experience and creative mindset we are looking forward to Samantha’s vision and ideas for the product but also valuable contributions to bringing the outreach STEM workshop to life. Here we share the Q&A session with Samantha and her experience of starting on a software engineering apprenticeship route.

Why did you choose the apprenticeship route?

I decided to take the apprenticeship route as I wanted to gain more experience in working within the IT sector, specifically, in the software development side. I also wanted the opportunity to show future potential employers the skills and experiences that I have gained in my previous roles.

Whilst job-searching for software development roles, I came across many other companies who were hiring, however, most of them were not local to me and many of them were very slow in responding to my applications. Savient, however, were very quick to respond and almost immediately offered me an interview as soon as I had submitted my application!

What are you enjoying most about your apprenticeship with Savient?

Since joining Savient, just over a month ago, I have enjoyed the variety of new challenges daily; one day I can be fixing a JavaScript error on the Savitrace database, and the next I can be designing a logo for the Outreach escape room project!

Another thing I have enjoyed about this apprenticeship has been being able to increase my knowledge of JavaScript, trying out new software systems and programs, and learning how to work collaboratively when it comes to producing code; all done at my own pace.

What advice would you give to someone deciding if to consider an apprenticeship?

Do as much research into the area of your interests as possible and connect with local companies for any potential opportunities that they may be offering.

I did some online research into apprenticeships and found that QA Apprenticeships was the best in terms of helping young people to find work in sectors that they enjoy. That’s where I ended up finding out about Savient, and that they had an Apprentice Software Developer position available.

What would your advice be to someone who is just about to start an apprenticeship?

Take a notebook and pen with you and always take down notes! I find that this has helped me immensely in the past, as I have been able to turn those notes into daily logs and track everything that I have learned from my employer, tasks that I have completed as well as any technical terms that I could potentially use on my CV, in preparation for my next job application.

What would you like your next step to be after completing your apprenticeship?

The technical and creative knowledge I gain from this apprenticeship will contribute greatly towards the experience listed on my CV and will help towards my goal of becoming a Computer Games designer. I will be showcasing this knowledge and experience in the form of a portfolio, so that any potential companies will be able to see the work I have done for Savient.

What are your hobbies or interests outside of work?

In my spare time I enjoy playing video games on my PC and PS3 (3d adventure being my favourite type!), designing new cartoon/gaming characters with my drawing tablet, obsessing over anything Japan-related, and giving my cats plenty of cuddles!