With a Criminology degree and no experience in coding, you might think it unlikely that Lucy Reid, now Technical Analyst at ENSEK, would pursue a career in software development. But that is exactly what she did through the ENSEK Academy – a 15-month programme organised by ENSEK in partnership with tech apprenticeship provider, Baltic Apprenticeships.
Lucy joined the ENSEK team with five years of working experience in the energy industry under her belt. Knowing that she wanted to future-proof her skills to pursue a successful career in the sector, Lucy decided to challenge herself and train as a Software Engineer.
In this article, she shares her experience, discussing the challenges and rewards of what she defines as “one of the best decisions [she] ever made.”
A bold career pivot
Lucy applied to the ENSEK Academy about six months after joining ENSEK. At the time she was working as a Senior Settlements Analyst, but she longed to gain new skills and take on a new challenge.
After successfully applying, she joined the ENSEK Academy together with five other people from different backgrounds and levels of technical expertise, forming the first ever ‘Academy Squad.’
The goal of this intense but rewarding training project was to pivot her career in a new direction, acquiring the necessary skills to qualify as a Software Engineer. This involved learning coding and other technical skills that she did not yet possess.
The ENSEK Academy learning experience
The learning process started with pre-requisite training via the Udemy platform, where students learnt the basics of software development – from software delivery lifecycle, to object-orientated programming.
After that, the Academy Squad, led by Engineer Manager James Chambers, started to learn the fundamentals of coding, as well as how to work as a software developer at ENSEK. The Squad met once a week from January to April 2022, and students were given time to learn alongside fulfilling their normal job roles.
In April, the Squad was dispersed and the Academy members joined other existing squads at Baltic Apprenticeships as full-time Associate Software Developers.
“The focus of what you will work on in each squad will depend on what tribe and squad you end up in,” explains Lucy. “For instance, our entire Academy cohort moved into the CX tribe or the customer experience tribe. So, we focused on key customer journeys and their development.”
Baltic Apprenticeships last between 12 and 15 months, and teachings delve into different aspects of software development, providing a holistic view of the subject. For Lucy, the Baltic Apprenticeship included modules on the software development environment, the software development lifecycle, development principles, implementing code, and coding for data and the web. During the entire process, apprentices are expected to take active part in the sessions and to contribute with questions and discussions.
This technical training prepares students for the workplace. After this, the Baltic Apprenticeship continues with several workplace projects, which allow them to build a portfolio of evidence to showcase their competencies. The portfolio contains evidence of work students have completed as developers at ENSEK. Each project is set up and assessed by a Baltic Learning Mentor, who provides feedback and support for improvement.
The apprenticeship also requires a 20% off-the-job learning. Despite its name, this can be completed on the job through a combination of instructor-led training, self-paced video learning, and workplace mentoring.
“I covered a lot of these hours by completing Udemy or Pluralsight training courses and taking part in pair programming sessions just as part of my everyday job,” explains Lucy. “And every time you're doing a new thing as a developer, you're learning something new. As long as you can evidence that, you'll be able to log that as part of your off-the-job learning hours.”
The apprenticeship concludes with an end-point assessment which includes an employer reference, summative portfolio, synoptic project (which is a time-limited project where students develop code to answer a specific question or challenge), and an interview.
Lucy’s top tips:
- Make the most of free learning resources (available through Pluralsight, Udemy, W3Schools or Amazon Web Services)
- Find something you are passionate about and start a personal project. This will help get you excited about coding and is one of the best ways to learn.
- Ask for help! There is a wealth of expertise available at ENSEK, and people will be happy to support you.
Support at every stage
The ENSEK Academy is designed to be an intense but fulfilling experience, with students getting the support they need to excel.
“The support you get from the Baltic team throughout the apprenticeship is incredible,” says Lucy. “At the beginning it can all seem quite overwhelming with all this work set out that you need to complete. But you'll be assigned a mentor who will have regular touch points with you and make sure you are on track and give you consistent feedback to ensure you have all the evidence required to get the best possible grade.”
During the whole experience, apprentices’ progress is reviewed every 12 weeks in a one-to-one session with their learning mentor. Employers are also invited to attend these sessions to provide a progress update and to support in mapping out work-related projects. These sessions also offer an opportunity for apprentices to get assistance in areas where they feel they need further support.
The next edition of our ENSEK Academy is about to be launched, with 10 more people ready to train as software engineers. The format may vary slightly, but the goal will remain the same: to equip participants with the skills they need to pursue successful careers in the energy sector.
If you’re interested in learning more about career development opportunities at ENSEK, take a look at our careers page, or get in touch with the team.
