Digital and Technology Degree Apprenticeship

Khadija Khan, Digital & Technology Solutions Degree Apprentice

What is your current role and how long have you been with Mercedes-Benz?

“I started at Mercedes-Benz Cars in January as a Digital and Technology Solutions Degree Apprentice in the IT Tools and Process team, which covers all manner of things, from IT governance through to applications. I’ll do six rotations within the IT team during my apprenticeship, learning more about different areas.

“Mercedes-Benz really support my learning and development and I’ve had a lot of encouragement with regular 1:1s and an open-door policy with senior management that makes me feel like my development is nurtured.”

What attracted you to Mercedes-Benz?

“Mercedes-Benz is a prestigious industry leader. When I heard about the apprenticeship, I messaged some of the other Mercedes-Benz apprentices on LinkedIn and heard nothing but good things. I like the idea of hands-on learning and the whole working environment appealed to me, there’s a lot of friendliness and kindness within the business with people taking the time to stop and talk to you, there’s no hierarchal culture and even things like our prayer rooms make me feel like there’s a real sense of inclusion.”

What does an average day look like for you? 

“My days vary depending on what tasks and projects I'm doing. I'm currently leading on a project about how we store and share information.

“I've worked on gathering requirements for the project, looking through documentation to examine what I'll specifically need to analyse. I'm currently at the point of preparing to present a solution off the back of my research. I have a mentor in the IT team who I can lean on, which has been really helpful for support.”

Why did this apprenticeship appeal to you? 

“My degree is debt free and doesn't cost me a penny – it's accredited by MK:U, a new university set up by Cranfield University. It's very L&D focused, I get 20% off-the-job training meaning I’m at university once a week and there’s a big emphasis on support and ensuring that apprentices can progress early on in their careers.

“I love that there are just endless opportunities within my apprenticeship. I've learnt so much in my current role and I've still got to rotate five more times. When I leave I’ll have six areas of expertise that I'll be able to take forward. My next rotation is going to be within the Application and Integration team, and I can't wait to get started.”