UWTSD Degree apprenticeship says studies helped to find solutions to real world problems
Samuel Jackson is in his final year of studying for a part-time Degree Apprenticeship in Cloud Computing Development alongside his full-time work commitments as a Robotic Process Automation Developer with the NHS.
The Swansea-born, Cardiff-based 24-year-old said: “My studies at university have introduced me to concepts that have enabled me to find solutions to real world problems.
“It really gives you that boost to go and do the further revision and utilise that independent study time because you don’t want miss something important that you could use in the workplace.”
Samuel started his apprenticeship in September 2020 after securing a full-time job in the Digital Services Department at Velindre University NHS Trust.
His skills were soon called into action when an upgrade was required outside normal working hours.
Samuel said: “One of the managers of the IT department told me to go home, freshen up and come back in to help with the upgrade.
“He knew I was enrolled in the apprenticeship and thought it would benefit my learning even as an observer.
“He was asking me questions on the technical details of the work being carried out, and I was delighted to realise I knew the answers because of the theory element of my university studies.
“I was able to answer without hesitation due to what I had been learning in my L4 module, Cyber Security and Networking.
“It made me realise the importance of theory and learning and confirmed that if I continue to put the work in, I’ll be able to achieve my goal of the degree.”
This realisation was especially welcome as Samuel, who is dyslexic, had previously struggled with the theory side of learning.
He admitted: “It’s really difficult for me, especially when it comes to remembering acronyms or words you’d never hear in the normal world. I wasn’t exactly struggling but I wasn’t confident in my ability.
“So discovering I knew all the answers to these real-world issues was just a total buzz. I think I’ve always been much better at learning on the job.
“That’s why I would absolutely recommend the apprenticeship route. I don’t see it as a Plan B option at all - in fact, I’d like to see more awareness of it as a choice straight from school.
“People like me who’ve always thought they weren’t cut out for academia need to try this route because it’s a different way of getting information to stick.”
Sam said he loved working for Velindre University NHS Trust because it was a slightly smaller organisation, and they were willing to let him deploy new processes to help work colleagues as well as patients.
“I was then employed by Shared Services Partnership as an RPA developer where I was fortunate enough to work at an all Wales level and gain experience and knowledge from the great team there.
“I am now back working for Velindre University NHS Trust with the goal of implementing RPA here, I’ve already found that the knowledge I’ve gained from my Cloud computing modules has had a huge impact on some of the key fundamentals needed when implementing a new service, as we learn on the same tools such as Microsoft Azure, a major resource used day to day in the world of digital services.”
Further Information
Rebecca Davies
Executive Press and Media Relations Officer
Corporate Communications and PR
Email: rebecca.davies@uwtsd.ac.uk
Phone: 07384 467071