‘It’s so much more than coding.’ How a flexible computing degree has helped develop a council IT team

“We spoke to the Open University about their degree apprenticeship programme,” says Jon (below, right), senior manager digital at Powys Council.

“At the time, we were looking to build our capacity within the team. Historically, we were quite small and outsourced a lot of our work. We advertised the degree apprenticeship role with staff as we thought it was a great opportunity. Nikki and Sam applied and here they are today as two graduates.”

Flexible learning

Although Sam has always had an interest in computers, it wasn’t a subject offered in his local high school at GCSE.

“It fell by the wayside, and became a hobby,” he explains.

After joining the council over 10 years ago, his colleagues noticed that he was good with computers, and suggested he apply for a role on the IT department service desk.

“That’s when the opportunity for the degree apprenticeship came up. I regretted not getting a degree when I was younger, so this was my chance.

“My interest was more in infrastructure. I was good with building networks and PCs, but never really ventured into the software side. I was already looking at degrees but realised that doing it alongside a full-time job would be hard. I saw the degree apprenticeship as getting the same thing but in a more manageable way.”

Nikki’s route was slightly different. She never saw herself working in IT, and had no regrets about not going to university after school. She joined Powys’ IT department around 10 years ago as an administrator.

“I really enjoyed the dynamic in the team,” she says. “I was picking up more and more about IT without realising. As soon as I started the degree apprenticeship, so many cogs started turning, and everything fell into place.”

As two busy professionals, the flexibility of the degree apprenticeship was something which appealed to both colleagues. Towards the end of the degree, Nikki was even able to find time to move house in between study and work.

So much more than coding

Both Nikki and Sam (above) emphasise that their learning took them beyond just software development, and helped prepare them for the reality of working as IT professionals.

“The first module was heavy on self-reflection,” says Nikki. “It was something that I didn’t look forward to initially, but towards the end of the degree it was the thing that I looked forward to the most. It made me more comfortable in being self-critical, reflecting on what I’ve done and how I’m doing things.”

Sam agrees.

“One thing you’re taught is the idea of constant learning,” he explains. “I thought it was all going to be technical, for example just talking about coding. But there’s ideas on teaching you how to teach yourself, read documentation, and expand your knowledge. We’ve learnt how to interact with stakeholders and better understand requirements.”

Investing in talent

For Jon as a team manager, the degree apprenticeship was a great way to invest in staff rather than look outside the organisation.

“Developers are notoriously hard to find,” he explains. “particularly in rural areas like mid Wales. This can make recruitment very costly or make us more reliant on outsourcing work.

“We now have two more students on the degree apprenticeship programme. In the meantime, both Nikki and Sam have progressed onto more senior roles, and are mentoring others. This means that the whole team has benefitted from us investing in our local talent.”