Maira Usmani
Digital and Technology Solutions Degree Apprentice, KPMG
Achieving excellence: Maira’s award-winning path in IT apprenticeship
Meet Maira, a Digital and Technology Solutions Professional Degree Apprentice who recently was awarded ‘Highly Commended DevOps Apprentice of the Year’ by the British Computer Society (BCS) IT and Digital Apprenticeship Awards 2023. These awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of digital apprentices and learners.
She shared with us insights into her apprenticeship journey, highlighting the skills she’s developed and explaining why she chose this career path. Read more about Maira’s experience as a IT apprentice:
Choosing a degree apprenticeship
In sixth form, I studied Information and communications technology (ICT), sociology and finance, so I already knew I was quite interested in tech as a career. A traditional university course didn’t really appeal to me, because I didn’t want to just be in a classroom learning; I wanted to be physical, hands-on, doing something. It was actually my finance teacher who recommended degree apprenticeships to me.
That’s when I started looking into different organisations, and KPMG really stood out to me as it seemed inclusive, multicultural, with a focus on corporate social responsibility – all of which aligned well with my own values. So I applied to KPMG, and I got in!
Crafting Excellence: From apprentice to a skilled professional
It was quite a shock when I came into DevOps four years ago. Even though I had studied ICT at A-Level, programming was totally new to me and DevOps is a very technical role. However, the structure of the apprenticeship at both KPMG and Manchester Met really helped to improve my technical skills.
You learn Java every year in the first 3 years of the course, and KPMG offers a 10-week DevOps Learning track to upskill you as a DevOps engineer, so that really helped as well. Learning Java was difficult at the beginning, but the tutors at Manchester Met were great, taking us through everything step-by-step.
They also set assignments which are based on real-life situations. Last year’s assignment was creating a website using Java, and I could see a lot of correlations with how we use data to populate websites at work.
Throughout the Digital and Technology Solutions Professional programme, I’ve been able to understand the theory of what we do through my university coursework, and then at work, I am applying that knowledge for practical solutions. That’s been really key for me and has meant that the theory really “clicks” when I see how it can be applied in the real world.
The university really builds up your soft skills and that’s very valuable. I’ve learned how to critically analyse, write, research, and present my work through my assignments.
Even though I am a DevOps engineer, and my work is very technical, I still have to be really good at talking and being able to get certain things across to different technical and non-technical audiences. The university has really helped me in that sense and made me a more rounded employee.
Award nomination
Winning Highly Commended DevOps Apprentice of the Year at the British Computer Society IT & Apprenticeship Awards 2023 was quite unreal, to be honest, because I’ve not actually won an award like that before. It felt good because it showed that I am valued and the work I do is valued, particularly as it was my Performance Manager who nominated me for the award.
It means a lot to me, because I’m visibly representing Hijab Muslims, and I’m showing that we can do this as well, we can be on this platform, and we can excel.
When it comes to the reasons behind Maira’s nomination for the award, her Performance Manager said: I nominated Maira for this recognition because of her exceptional qualities and unwavering dedication to her work. She stands out as a true hard worker, consistently going above and beyond to exceed expectations. Maira thrives on new challenges and is always eager to take on fresh opportunities, demonstrating a proactive and growth-oriented mindset.
Beyond her professional commitment, Maira is deeply passionate about giving back to the community by teaching kids how to code, reflecting her altruistic spirit.
Maira’s focused approach to learning and the pursuit of exceptional results sets her apart, while her naturally bubbly, friendly, and approachable demeanour makes her a pleasure to work with. I have no doubt that she has a promising career ahead, and I wholeheartedly believe she will continue to excel in her professional journey.
Passing It On: Sharing her knowledge with others
I like to give back. I don’t want to retain information - if I know something, I want to teach it and teach other people as well. KPMG gives me that opportunity through their corporate social responsibility programme. I have six days a year that I can use for volunteering.
In my first year, I did a 10-week Python Code Ambassadors programme at KPMG, and now, 3 years later, I am teaching on the same course.
I am teaching internally to apprentices and new grads, and externally I’m going into schools to teach Year 10s. So that’s been amazing - literally three years ago, I was the person learning, and back then I thought I could never be the teacher, but now I am and I’m really enjoying it, particularly as it’s giving school children the opportunity to come into the KPMG offices and experience what we do.
Lessons learned and advice for future apprentices
I would say that what you bring to the table as a person is more important than your technical skills. You need to be someone who’s ready to learn and eager to learn rather than knowing it all. I certainly didn’t have all the information or technical skills, but I’ve done well.
Throughout my apprenticeship, I’ve shown that I’ve been eager to learn. It will really get you far. And another thing I always say is “fake it till you make it”. Like literally if you don’t know something, just say yes to it and you will have to do it so you’ll learn and you’ll get that experience.