Data Analyst Review

My main job is creating and maintaining dashboards. The process includes accessing and obtaining relevant data, formatting it, analysing it and creating visualisations. I also attend meetings with stakeholders to gather requirements and work with project managers if necessary. When possible I also engage in statistical analysis and programming tasks.

During the apprenticeship I have developed skills in programming (Python, SQL, R), machine learning (supervised and unsupervised), database creation and querying (relational, document-oriented, key value etc), software engineering (Flask, HTML, JavaScript), version control (GitHub), statistical analysis and report writing. The course has given me very strong base knowledge in mathematics, statistics and probability theory.

The programme is very academically challenging but everything we have been taught is relevant to the Data Scientist profession and skillset. The quality of teaching has, for the most part, been very good. The academic staff are usually very quick to respond to any queries and to provide support. Also, feedback that students have provided has been taken into account and changes to programme made accordingly.

All the modules taught by the School of Mathematics staff have been exceptionally organised. The content has always been released on time and assessments marked in good time. In the past there have been issues with some of the School of Computer Science module content not being released on time but this is not been the case for all modules.

My employer is very supportive and understanding of the demanding nature of the apprenticeship. I am always encouraged to let my employer know if I start struggling with workload etc.

I have regular meetings (three times per year) with my personal tutor and line manager to ensure I am making good progress towards my qualification. At the end of first and second year we also write reflective pieces on the progress made towards KSBs and review the Initial Needs Assessment we completed before the start of the apprenticeship.

There are extra-curricular activities to take part of (e.g. sports teams, games nights) but I rarely take part due to the demanding nature of my apprenticeship. I have to be very selective with how I spend any of my free time since there is so little of it. I do however, participate in networking events when anything relevant/interesting comes up.

Yes

* Overall great quality of teaching * Course content is relevant to Data Scientist role * Real world application of content learned * Great support from teaching and apprenticeship staff

Expect to spend way more than the minimum 20% off the job hours on the course content. If you want good grades, you will most definitely spend evenings and weekends studying.