Apprentice Economist Review

As an apprentice economist working in Global Trade and Investment I'm responsible for the analysis of UK trade data producing charts and tables for various publications and online meetings as well as a fortnightly presentation on the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic upon trade which I produce and present myself.

Wowsers! YES! My excel skills have improved by infinity percent! I've become much more at ease with and accomplished at giving presentations [to large audiences composed of some pretty senior members of staff] - pretty scary at first but you get used to it! I've signed up to do a few courses to learn new things - the ONS is great for this and really encourages growth - I'm hoping to crack on with a course in Python next.

Just the best decision I've ever made professionally! Everyone at work is really supportive and keen to make sure your studies are going well and that you're striking the right work-life balance - there's a huge onus on mental health and well-being at the ONS. On the Uni side of things meeting a bunch of new people has been great - we keep in touch regularly even though we're all in different organizations and in different parts of the country - it's great to have people (friends now!) to talk to who are doing the same thing as you (broadly speaking) and who are facing similar challenges.

I think the programme is really well structured. Speaking as someone who was doing an Open University degree alongside a full-time job prior to the apprenticeship, the day off each week to study is priceless! There's regular communication from the lecturers and those on the admin side of things and the amount of studying you're asked to do is just about perfect. My cohort is the third year the programme has been run and from discussions with students from the other cohorts I think little tweaks have been made each year to improve delivery. The residential week in Canterbury is just a fantastic idea and I'm so glad I made the decision to go! The face-to-face lectures too are a great opportunity to meet your lecturers in person and catch up with the other apprentices. Personally I have absolutely no complaints!

The ONS have been brilliant frankly. The structure they have for welcoming new staff is great, everyone is super-friendly and keen to help - there is always someone there if you get stuck or are unsure about something. Myself and the other apprentices at the ONS have an apprenticeship mentor, a very senior member of staff, who we have a catchup with and who helps us on the economics side of things, explaining concepts and going through what we're currently studying. My line manager has been great, making sure I get my study day, reminding me to take a break and not let my flexi time build up too much - as mentioned earlier, the onus on my well-being, upon my work-life balance has been phenomenal. I do feel part of the team, I'm constantly involved in things that are of benefit to my ongoing development and I'm encouraged to to learn new skills - the ONS actually has a protected learning period each month where you can sign up to do courses. I just can't say enough, it's been a fantastic first eight or nine months.

I think the support we receive from the University of Kent is great. We have once a term catch-ups with a mentor/adviser who makes sure we're doing okay and getting our study days and that we're not being overwhelmed. The lecturers are always available if we have any questions or problems and the face-to-face lectures are great and there's an optional weekly drop-in with a senior lecturer if you have any issues. Touch wood, I've had no problems thus far, but I feel that if I do have something come up in the future that I would have a plethora of resources available to me.

I think this will vary slightly from organization to organization and from term to term, depending on your role and on the module you're studying, but I do feel what I've learnt thus far has made me better at what I do. I think some modules, whilst obviously great for your development overall may not be quite as pertinent for your current tasks, but generally speaking I think the opportunity to be putting into practice what you're learning really does reinforce and embed your studies. I do find you retain so much more of what you study when you're using it regularly.

Obviously here the Covid pandemic has played a part but the ONS, and my department, GTI, are keen to make sure we're not just robots slaving away! There are regularly social catch-up meetings within the branch and there are a number of facilities onsite. With hybrid working quite a few of my colleagues live in different areas of the country but we've recently started organizing regular visits to the various ONS sites so we can actually meet up in person, which has been really nice. There are fun social events around Christmas and Easter too, where talking about work is frowned upon!

Yes

I feel valued as a colleague and as a person and feel supported in my apprenticeship and in maintaining a work-life balance. The ONS is incredibly supportive too of people like myself who have children and thus schedules that can change at a moment's notice! The work atmosphere is empowering and yet not demanding - you're trusted to get on with your work by yourself but made fully aware that any support or help you might need is always available. You're encouraged to learn and develop new skills. What more can I say? I have just really enjoyed my time here thus far!

Go for it! The opportunity to work at the ONS, to be surrounded by intelligent and motivated, yet at the same time friendly and accessible people, is just a fantastic chance which I would advise everyone to take. The breadth and scope of its operations are phenomenal - in terms forging a career I can't think of a better place to start. In terms of applying, make sure you're clearly illustrating the required skills and behaviours that are being asked for with the role and... SELL YOURSELF! Don't be afraid to say good things about yourself! I mean, don't walk into an interview and put your feet up on the table, but I think a little self-belief goes a long way! You're intelligent, you're capable, you could do that job!! Now go for it!