Data and Analytics engineering lead Review

by AstraZeneca

Best Apprenticeship Employer

Rating

7.5/10

1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:

I am a permanent employee and I lead multiple teams of data engineers within the finance domain to implement solutions that lead to reporting.

9/10

2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

yes, enhanced multicultural skills, delegation / coordination across teams, accept "uncertainty".

10/10

3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

Regarding the apprenticeship, it's hard to asses as I started it at my previous employer and transferred to AZ.

6/10

4. How well organised/structured is your programme?

it's well structured overall but the admin from CambridgeSpark has been a bit lacking (communication, engagement, etc). AZ has been incredibly supportive.

6/10

5. How much support do you receive from your employer?

Overall, great support. Perhaps I would have liked more exposure to AI teams, but I also appreciate the complexities.

9/10

6. How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?

This has been a bit poor. I was only told about having to take the foundation exams a couple of months ago, even though the programme started Feb 2021. There are plenty of examples of poor communication / admin (being left out from emails).

4/10

7. How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?

I can see how many of the things learned on the program can apply to areas of my current job and how I can use those to spin off new projects / initiatives.

8/10

8. Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)

Yes, there are few AI initiatives (virtual) that I can follow, like Friday's AI demo sessions, AI workshops, etc. Not always the time of the events are compatible with my day of work, but many are recorded and I can check them out later.

8/10

9a. Would you recommend AstraZeneca to a friend?

Yes

9b. Why?

Open and enabling culture with plenty of opportunities to improve and collaborate.

10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to AstraZeneca?

Fantastic experience from onboarding to working, but you need to be ok with "uncertainty" and have an entrepreneurial approach to your own job. Having initiative will get you far.