Engagement and Projects Manager Review

Reporting to the Head of Administration and Finance, I am responsible for developing and implementing an engagement strategy at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences. I coordinate the department's Athena Swan work and sit on the Self-Assessment Team and Better Workplace Groups to develop and help deliver the department's action plan.

Completing the apprenticeship has helped me develop my strategic skills and encourage big picture thinking. Learning about strategy and working alongside helps me apply what I'm learning. I have also been able to develop leadership skills by taking responsibility for projects in order to demonstrate my apprenticeship learning which I wouldn't otherwise have had the opportunity to do.

I enjoy the challenge that the programme brings but it is hard work to balance study and work. The content of the programme is relevant to my work and it's satisfying to see it applied on a daily basis. It takes some time to find ways to apply what I learn so I think with time my enjoyment will increase.

It follows the structure of the MBA so it is well organised. There were compulsory modules to take at the beginning and then there is choice to curate your own pathway. There have been a few changes in the past 12 months to the structure of the programme which takes some navigation.

My employer is really supportive, both in making sure I have the time to undertake my study but also in helping me find challenging tasks to do at work and apply what I am learning. My manager in particular will make the time to talk through elements I'm learning to help me apply it to our organisation.

Again it is part of the MBA cohort so the support for the apprenticeship is broadly the same as all students receive. There is a brilliant admin team on the providers side who organise things seamlessly. Some further support on apprenticeship requirements so it wasn't so much of a check box activity would be useful.

It has pushed me to take on new responsibilities and opened up my thinking to other ideas. It has led me to have interesting conversations which bring new perspectives from different areas of the organisation. Applying the knowledge and skill will take some time but I think I will only be able to build on this.

There are some but this is not related to me completing the apprenticeship. There is an annual professional conference which I can participate in and my department arranges wellbeing events and Christmas and summer parties. This very much depends though on the area where you are working in the organisation.

Yes

You are surrounded by inspiring and talented people. You have the opportunity to work for a small unit such as a department which gives you autonomy and yet be part of something much bigger with colleagues to draw on for support across the organisation as a whole. There are many interesting talks taking place too.

Understand the department or division you are applying to. They are all quite different and will be looking for different skills.