Data Science Degree Apprentice Review

I am a data scientist. This involves data analyst/ reporting responsibilities such as curating dashboards, retrieving data and performing analysis but also can involve more complex techniques such as projects involving predictive modelling. I am also a scrum master so I facilitate our team meetings in line with agile methodologies.

I have developed communication skills substantially. Upon joining the team I contributed less to conversation however I now regularly engage and even facilitate team meetings. I am also a lot more confident in one to one calls with personnel from all areas of the business. I am also frequently required to use problem-solving and judgements skills in the job. Additionally, I have technically upskilled and became more proficient using tools and programming.

I have enjoyed the work side of my programme a lot in a challenging year. I find the work versatile enough to be interesting but also manageable enough to not be overwhelming. The company have also arranged networking events for apprentices and industrial placement student. I haven't enjoyed the university part of the programme to the same extent thus far.

In terms of the company side, the programme is well structured. It will never be as structured as a university course because each apprentice is fulfilling a distinct role within the company and experiences will differ but all the other apprentices I have spoken to have also had similar structure and support. Due to covid, there were changes in the university course which damaged the structure. There is also a bit of a lack of clarity around where the 20% of the OTJ time is spent as it depends on man factors.

I receive plenty of support from my employer. I have regular catch up sessions with my manager and mentors. Additionally, they have ensured that I have access to a community of other apprentices and industrial placement students from who I can also receive support if needed. Our team also have weekly meetings to check in on well being.

As of now, whilst Anglia Ruskin is providing all of the training, there is some support provided through the module leader and other contacts however the supporting material is not always good. The first module wasn't particularly organised and the second module had overly long lectures. Some of the online teaching support wasn't actually helpful also but was prolonged to fill in the missed learning time we didn't receive due to not having teaching weeks.

This year, the first module helped because it introduced programming concepts and relevant data science concepts that I could apply at work. The second module was not helpful (computer networking), it felt like it was just a filler for before they could develop a more relevant module (I believe they are replacing the module with a relational databases module which will be better).

There are some extracurricular activities such as networking events. There are many social groups and communication channels also. However, since everything has been remote thus far it's difficult for me to comment on whether there are activities such as sports and give an accurate account of the opportunities that are available.

Yes

The support is really good. I am surrounded by team mates who look out for my well being are and friendly and supportive. I can access many resources and people with expertise in interesting disciplines. The work I do is fulfilling and you know that you are having an impact on the business despite its size.

Be prepared to answer questions about yourself, the company and the role/ course you are applying for in detail. Demonstrate why you are interested and what you hope to gain out of the programme. If possible demonstrate technical proficiency in maths, analytical thinking skills, programming however do not neglect soft skills such as communication and presentation.