Preparing for a degree apprenticeship in software engineering,

It depends on the company you are joining but generally I would start by recommending you show that you have a passion/interest in these areas which you could do by reading books on the topic, staying up to date with current tech trends/news (AI is a current hot topic) and taking part in passion projects. These can all be contributing elements in your interview, personal statement and [link removed] terms of skills and work experience enrol to take part in online/in person work experience websites like Springpod have lots. Take part in hackathons or even try building your own personal portfolio by creating a personal website, a basic app, or a small game. This shows initiative to the hiring managers! If you can get familiar with basic programming languages like [link removed] to upskill where you can but also understand that most technical apprenticeships aren’t looking for someone who knows everything in the technical space and you will have lots of opportunity to learn on the job! And whilst technical skills are great to develop it’s also important you build on your soft skills too! ([link removed]: teammwork, communication, and adaptability) especially in apprenticeships where you’ll learn on the job. If you can show experiences where you’ve worked in a team or taken on leadership roles, these will be valuable.

Thank you very much for the [link removed] have got some programming experience in Python, as well as Java and Javascript, so that should be a start. I haven't secured places anywhere yet, just applying for next year. For the most part they have been big banks, so I assume this means I should try to get slightly familiar with the economic world as well? I have completed passion projects, although they are mostly web development projects, rather than software. I definitely think the personal portfolio is a great idea, I will try to make one. As for soft skills, I assume the only way to properly develop them are through actual jobs?