From classroom to employment: How an industry placement at Lloyds Banking Group fast-tracked Daniel’s career
At the start of the Digital T Level, I didn’t know anything about programming, so I’ve worked from the ground up, learning different functions, how to build programmes and developing websites.
As part of the course, we created our own websites using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Through these applications, we developed our website called ‘Calder Burger’ which was a fictional fast-food chain where users could pick from our menu and customise their order.
In our second year, we went into more detail as we learnt more from the course and I also used the skills from my work placement at Lloyds Banking Group. We designed a fitness website where users could create their own account, log in and track their fitness data.
I’ve really enjoyed the practical side of the course. It’s not just theory, so you get to test out your own knowledge from what you’ve learnt during the course. The industry placement really helped me as it gave me the understanding of how your qualification and skills can be used in a work environment.
I had a strong interest in computers before I started. I saw the course online and thought this could be good for me, but also the fact there is a work placement involved gives you an insight into how businesses operate at a young age, so it really caught my attention.
My work experience with Lloyds Banking Group was a paid placement, which isn’t a requirement of the course or the employer, but it was an added bonus. I was working in the Risk Value Stream department and was based in Halifax meaning it was really easy for me to get to from college. Straight away I was put into the team and started out as a Software Engineer where I was using the Python skills I had learned at college in the workplace. I also picked up new skills from the people around me to help build a new application model.
After my course, I would love to go straight into a job or start an apprenticeship, but the great thing with a T Level is it also gives you the opportunity to go to university, so I can also consider that too. If I go straight into employment, I’ll be searching for a Software Engineer role, similar to what I did at Lloyds, or become a Software Developer.
I have an interview with Lloyds in the summer for Software Engineer apprenticeship which is something I’d love to take up if I was offered the opportunity to help grow my career.
The work placement has given me this early experience which has helped me decide which future career might be right for me, and it is also something I can put on my CV to give me an advantage over others when applying for jobs.
I would really recommend other people study a T Level, as it gives you the knowledge and real-life experience of being in a workplace, whilst also learning a range of skills through the College. It eases you into the world of work, as you aren’t leaving college and going straight into a job, which can be daunting for a lot of people my age.
To find out more about our T Level courses, click this link: https://bit.ly/3K3Gf6M
