From Graduate Apprentice to inspiring the next STEM generation

In this case study we hear from Michael Coleman. Michael graduated in December 2021 as part of the first cohort of Software Development Graduate Apprentices. Michael is now a Senior Software Engineer with his employer, Leonardo.

Graduate Apprentice - Michael Coleman

Please describe what you are employed to do in your current role.

I work in the defence and aerospace sector. Specifically, I work on land inertial navigation technologies and solutions. As a software engineer, I work on developing, testing and maintaining code (C++) for our display and INU software for our land navigation pointing systems.

Can you give us some background what you were doing before you started your Graduate Apprenticeship?

I joined the Graduate Apprenticeship scheme straight from school. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, shown by my varied subject choice, but I settled on software engineering and discovered the GA scheme.

Where did you hear about Graduate Apprenticeships as an option?

My mum told me about it. I joined the scheme the first year it was run so it wasn’t widely talked about or known in my school at the time. I originally thought it was too good to be true since all apprenticeships I knew about were all college-level but when I heard about this, I excitedly applied and very grateful I got in! No-one in my family had a university degree so it was something I really wanted to strive for.

What was it about the Graduate Apprenticeship that appealed to you the most?

The possibility of gaining industry-level experience. I applied to university, but I really wanted to start working immediately after finishing school and gaining as much experience as I could. I was considering an apprenticeship to learn a trade so I could gain experience and gain a qualification as my father done but wanted a university degree more. The fact I was able to gain that industry experience and get a university degree, it was absolutely perfect for what I was after.

During your degree, how did the Graduate Apprenticeship help you in your job?

The GA scheme helped me significantly throughout, but namely in my first years in the programme. I did struggle with some concepts and implementing object-oriented design (OOD), but Leonardo assisted my learning greatly. They created an in-house course to teach us the fundamentals of OOD and that helped me fully grasp the concepts and how to apply them. I received the fundamentals of the workplace and gained a lot of knowledge in relation to software that I couldn’t have received from university alone.

Since completing your Graduate Apprenticeship, how has your job role and /or career evolved?

Since my graduation, I’ve used the foundations I learned to get a promotion to senior software engineer, have a better understanding of the industry compared to graduates who are just joining the company, experienced the opportunity to see live trials of our product in the UK and be involved with maintenance and upgrades in Italy and India.

Do you now get involved with mentoring or managing apprentices?

Yes, I have had the privilege of mentoring and supervising two excellent software apprentices the past two years.

Looking back, how would you sum up your Graduate Apprenticeship experience?

Just as challenging as it is rewarding. It is a hard route to take, working and studying at the same time but very rewarding – I can still feel the benefits of the doors the programme opens years after graduating.

Looking ahead, how do you think your Graduate Apprenticeship will impact your future career?

I think it will continue much the same way it has. I got a big head start in my career and having over seven years of industry experience at the age of 26 is massive. The programme has matured me and helped me build confidence that will carry me forward throughout the rest of my career.

If someone was considering a Graduate Apprenticeship, what advice would you give them?

Think about what you want from the next four years. You do sacrifice the full university experience with the GA programme, without a doubt, but you can still enjoy a lot of the university life. I was still involved with the student union, societies and was the vice president of the music society. But if you’re happy with that sacrifice, then I couldn’t recommend the GA programme enough.

You get your foot in the door into a very competitive industry, get the industry experience that no full-time university student can, essentially have four summertime work placements lined up and when you graduate, you have a role promised for you to hit the ground running and go from strength to strength!

A lot can change in four years, and you never know how tough the job market will be when you graduate. To know I had a job ready was so relieving, especially when my friends in university were stressing extensively for months about finding a job (I graduated in 2021, middle of the Covid years).

In short, if you want to kick-start your career and get a good mix of the university experience (albeit, not all) and invaluable early industry experience, then the GA programme is the best place you could be!