Harshmeet Kaur – Spotlight

Growing up across India, South Africa and the UK meant that I was having to reinvent myself and learn how to adapt to different environments. The one constant that I had through all of it was my deep curiosity for technology. From a very young age I’ve been very interested in the latest tech gadgets… When I got older that curiosity turned into me studying computer science at school and doing a few extracurricular activities around digital skill programs and competitions. When I joined Deloitte’s tech consulting degree apprenticeship and learned more about Ada, that path felt very natural and exciting for me.

Going from sixth form straight into the world of work was quite overwhelming for me at first. I remember going into our first week of induction and feeling very out of place. I was surrounded by people who seemed much older than me, had come with degrees and experience, and I suffered from imposter syndrome. That’s where Ada’s launchpad programme played a very important role for me.

Ada’s launchpad is a 6 week programme that we do at the beginning of our apprenticeship. We learn a range of technical and professional skills while also getting to know the other apprentices. When we went back into our workplaces after those 6 weeks and started on our first projects, we knew what to expect and knew we weren’t doing it alone. I had a network of friends going through the same experience, who I could rely on, and we could work through challenges together.

Through the support system at Ada and Deloitte, both sides understood what we were getting ourselves into and they were very supportive… One of the things that I really appreciated about Ada was how closely our learning aligned with the projects that we ended up doing. Instead of centering around exams, we worked on presentations, completed reports and learnt how to communicate ideas clearly. Having the opportunity to consistently practice the skills we use every day in consulting helped build my confidence. In my opinion, it’s where Ada excels as a degree apprenticeship provider.

Something that stood out to me from the first moment that I met my cohort was the diversity of the environment at Ada. Despite growing up across several different schools, Ada has genuinely been one of the most diverse learning environments I’ve been in where students have come from a wide range of backgrounds and pathways.

Our peer network has been quite unique: we didn’t just talk about classroom learning, but shared our experiences in different organisations and developed our external networks.

I knew pretty immediately that I felt like I did the right thing… I’m much better at learning on the job and learning by doing… I’ve also spent the last three years talking about degree apprenticeships more and more. I was amongst the first at my school to do a degree apprenticeship, so I’ve gone back every year to talk about it and encourage more students to do it.

I think what I’ve taken away more than anything is the practical skills, the network that I’ve built, and the professional confidence that I’ve been able to build over the last three and a half years. It’s played a huge role in shaping the professional I am today and will continue to be throughout my career.