Future Leaders Degree Apprentice Review

Within my programme, I undertake placements of six months duration. These are in business areas in which I am interested and of my own choosing. Currently, I am working in a Performance & Planning role as an Analyst. This entails interpreting live data and to provide suggestions to improve efficiency and working patterns.

I have developed leadership skills which have been aided by my university degree and subsequently I have been able to put these into practice within the workplace. I have learnt a range of new specialist skills also, such as becoming increasingly competent on Excel and also systems such as NICE WFM and ICE.

I am thoroughly enjoying my programme, with the hybrid mix of partaking both in university studies coupled with the real-world work experience. I also enjoy the interaction with other staff and the ability to learn from those with experience. I also appreciate the allocated day a week which is designated for my university studies.

I have found that there is a clear structure to my scheme and I couldn't recommend it highly enough. There is a large support network both from the assigned mentors and also my 'buddy' which is a one year further forward in the programme and can therefore provide useful guidance.

There is a large amount of support. I have countless members of staff which I can reach out to if I am struggling with their own areas of expertise. There are also regular catch-up sessions with my peers and especially early on there is an overwhelming presence of individuals offering help.

My Degree through the University of Derby is fully funded by E.ON. I am given one day per week in which in can dedicate myself to my studies and have no allocated work from E.ON. There are also plentiful opportunities to enrol myself on courses and trainings within the organisation which again are sponsored by E.ON.

There is a strong overlap between my University work and my day to day work. I am able to demonstrate the theories learnt on my University course to my workplace responsibilities. Also, within my degree work the modules directly relate to my organisation and applying the theory to them better enables me to understand the business.

There are limited extra-curricular activities which are available at present due to the current Covid situation. Having only joined last September, I am unaware of certain activities which may have been present before the pandemic. I attended the Christmas Party for my department which was a nice way to socialise with colleagues albeit online.

Yes

The combination of paid employment whilst obtaining my fully funded degree was very attractive. The work experience obtained during the four year apprenticeship will be invaluable and the ability to chose my placements within the workplace enables me to work in roles in which I think I'll find interesting and exciting.

I would encourage others to undertake research regarding the company and values in preparation for an interview. I would advise to think about your strengths and weaknesses and how these could be improved or developed within the organisation as there is a strong emphasis on training and development. Also, I would advise individuals to think broader than the company as a whole and to develop their understanding of the energy industry.