The apprenticeship with Send is my first-ever office job! Before this, I had just completed my A-Levels, which included a couple of coding projects in my Computer Science subject. During my A-Levels, I also studied and thoroughly enjoyed Physics and Economics.
I mainly used my spare time to educate myself on coding. I really enjoyed it so I would say it was more of a hobby at first, but a useful one to have, I wouldn’t be where I am now without it. I have always had a love for all things computer-related, my interest developed from when I was only 7 years old! I also enjoy sports, I play table tennis and like to watch basketball.
Why I chose Send
I found out about Send in year 12. I was really interested in how innovative and dynamic the company was, so I got in contact and took part in an internship during my summer break from Sixth Form. The Send team was impressed with my coding knowledge during the internship and approached me for their apprenticeship.
My internship almost felt like an interview process in a way. It was a fantastic opportunity to show my skills and development. It enabled me to meet the wider team and get to know the company internally, which was a useful set-up for my apprenticeship.
Send has partnered with Multiverse as its provider for the apprenticeship programme. The scheme will last 15 months, it will also include a 12-week boot camp focused on foundational skills, including JavaScript and computer science theory, which I have a great interest in. Following the bootcamp, I will focus on back-end content, finishing up with a 3-month exposure to an in-demand specialty.
I’m 3 months in and feel I am part of a team that truly cares about what it does. Honestly, everything about Send is positive! I really like the accessibility I have to the team including people in senior roles. I don’t feel like I am just a newcomer doing an apprenticeship, I feel I also add value to the company through the work I’m doing. The onboarding has been smooth, and the team has been encouraging. There hasn’t been a point where I have felt overwhelmed and out of my depth, it’s been very enjoyable and engaging.
My day-to-day routine
The apprenticeship is scheduled so I have certain tasks from Monday to Thursday then separate tasks for Friday.
From Monday to Thursday, I have a preliminary meeting every morning. I get allocated tasks that are in line with my skills, and then have a session that consists of a couple of hours with my team and then a session individually that touches on outside knowledge. At the end of every day, we are involved in a round-up session of what we have completed/learnt during the day. Fridays are for set projects, these are weekly projects we work on during the day, and present back to the team at the end of the day.
What I hope to achieve during my apprenticeship
I want to achieve my Apprentice Developer qualification! But personally, I really want to cement myself in the team and become a valuable member. I hope to continuously leverage more and more skills and gain further expertise in coding.
Send is an innovative company solving industry problems and I want to be able to contribute to new ideas and help the insurance industry evolve technologically. Fundamentally, I want to be able to help customers achieve more insight into AI and recognise how an underwriting platform can improve their underwriting experience and performance.
My advice to anyone wanting to start an apprenticeship
I completely recommend doing an apprenticeship! I feel as if apprenticeships don’t get the recognition they deserve. At school, you’re typically steered in the direction of going to university and getting a degree, which is not suitable or necessary for everyone. An apprenticeship is a more immersive learning experience, you gain skills and potentially a career afterwards. I believe more apprenticeships should be available and they could tap into the recruitment challenge that the industry is facing.
My advice would be; if you’ve got the skills then go for it! If not, then it’s never too late to learn. Don’t shy away from applying, put yourself out there and go beyond. Sometimes you don’t realise what you’re actually capable of and you can surprise yourself. If you’d like to connect with Elliott, you can find him on LinkedIn here.