Sienna Devgun is a Digital Technology Solutions Apprentice at Klipboard.
I work as a Software Test Engineer and I am completing a Digital Technology Solutions Degree Apprenticeship alongside my role. I have been with the company for almost 3 years and have progressed within the QA team as my technical knowledge and responsibilities have developed.
The apprenticeship allows me to combine structured academic study with practical experience in a live business environment, helping me to strengthen my technical capability while contributing directly to real projects and systems used by customers.
My day-to-day responsibilities involve testing enterprise software used within the transport and logistics sector. This includes executing manual and automated test cases, identifying and documenting defects, and working closely with developers and product owners to support defect resolution and product improvement.
I also contribute to regression testing for software releases, maintain test documentation, and support improvements to testing processes. Over time, I have taken on more responsibility in test planning and automation whilst also helping to improve efficiency and consistency across the testing lifecycle through new and improved processes and documentation.
Before joining the logistics industry, I was interested in technology having already completed a level 4 in software testing in my last role, but had limited exposure to how large-scale systems operate within a commercial environment. I understood the technical side of software, but not how it connects to business needs, users, and delivery cycles.
The apprenticeship provided a structured way to build that understanding while working on real systems, which helped bridge the gap between theory and practice.
Through my apprenticeship, I have developed several technical skills in software testing, test automation, working with databases and APIs, and majorly software engineering. This has directly allowed me to become more technical within my role and navigate/ implement tools and software to improve the current processes. I have also strengthened transferable skills such as analytical thinking, problem solving, communication, but most specifically time management, in learning how to juggle high priority work demands and assignments.
These skills are essential when working within multidisciplinary teams and contributing to reliable software delivery and are incredibly useful for any future projects even once the apprenticeship is completed.
I would encourage other women to view technology as an accessible and varied field rather than a narrow limited pathway. There are many entry routes into the industry, including apprenticeships, additionally there are many paths to deepen knowledge once they’ve began this journey.
I hope my journey shows that it is possible to build a technical career through steady development and workplace learning, demonstrating that learning and persistence is more important than prior technical knowledge.
Confidence grows through practice and exposure, learning whilst working can be intimidating but has an incredible pay off to the knowledge you develop through both practical examples and online lectures.
