Data Science Degree Apprentice Review

Only a daily basis I work with the team to process and understand data and then provide insights based on this data back to stakeholders across the business. There are also routine deliverables that I am accountable for (reporting).

I have massively developed my leadership and communication skills and have grown in confidence in speaking to a wide range of people. I have also developed technical skills such as use of software and programming.

The work side of my programme is fantastic 10/10 The university side has been slightly disappointing 5/10

The programme is well structured. The exact arrangement is slightly flexible and figuring out things such as how OTJ works out of term or with holidays is slightly confusing however my manager is very flexible and supportive which in my opinion is better than absolute structure.

I receive a lot of support from my employer. I have mentors in many different parts of the business who I speak to frequently as well as support from Graduate / apprenticeship UK and global programmes. My 1:1 support from manager is also strong however we are a busy team so experts in the team do have their time stretched and will not always be available to help me.

Not enough. One part of the training (Cambridge spark) is good and well organised but the Anglia Ruskin learning experience is poor, low quality resources and not well organised. Support is not useful and feedback lacks detail.

As of so far it has been partially useful however the first year was not that useful (I made a lot more progress in role than through university and the pace of these two things was not aligned). However, the expected course content seems to be heading in the direction of being more and more applicable.

Yes, there is a lot of effort put into networking activities for apprentices / IPs / graduates. THere are regular online meetings with a lot of good content planned out. There are also in person networking events sometimes with food and drink etc. For apprentices there have even been weeks of development courses (fully sponsored) which were excellent opportunities to meet others and highly enjoyable.

Yes

Firstly I think degree apprenticeships are fantastic. Excellent experience which I think is more valuable and faster-track than university. GSK specifically has a really good culture and they are always looking to improve their culture and seem genuinely interested in feedback. I have found that most people at all levels are open to challenge and show respect to others. Additionally the events and networking opportunities are very good especially for graduates / IPs / apprentices.

Specifically for apprentices (I cant speak for other roles), I think interview skills are important and speaking skills help a lot. Letting your personality come across in the interview is important because (as opposed to university) you are likely being recruited by an individual. This is different from being admitted into a large cohort because recruiters are looking for someone specifically to come into their team, therefore they want to be able to see that themselves working with you. There are many other things that are also important such as demonstrating passion for the role / subject area, being well prepared and having technical and critical thinking skills.