Apprentice Economist Review

My current role is as a sanctions economist and my team are responsible for producing analysis on sanctions impact and effectiveness. The analysis produced can include slide packs, papers or ad hoc answers for questions from non-economists within my department. I am also responsible for a lot of the sanctions data and produce data products that are used by policy colleagues.

I have strengthened a lot of my skills and built new ones. For instance there are many opportunities to develop verbal and written communication skills. Depending on the product being produced the writing style will be very different. My analytical skills have also grown due to applying economic knowledge to real world issues.

The programme is great and I am definitely an advocate for it. It is amazing to have been working in a government department for the last few years and being involved in policy being produced. If economics and politics are of interest it is definitely a very enjoyable programme. However, it feels like some of the most enjoyable parts that have been organised on this scheme have been done so by other apprentices. Also, it can be a lot of work to have essentially a full time job and study for a degree.

Ultimately my programme does not feel very organised. GES as the organiser seem to have no real involvement in the programme. I know many apprentices who have been disappointed by what the programme is in reality because the way it is advertised makes it seem a lot more structured. I think there could be a better balance between the studying and work too. While the workload is manageable, it can be hard.

The GES does not provide a lot of support but my actual department/team have been very supportive. All teams I have worked in over the past 3 years have been very understanding about the responsibility I have to my degree. They have also helped me grow professionally which was particularly helpful as this was my first "professional" job.

They do provide support but it can be difficult given that the majority of the work is online. It also depends on the module convenor as some will be more supportive than others. For instance some are more open to giving us office hours or being understanding of our work commitments etc.

I think it can be tricky to measure given what our degree is. While having an understanding of economic theory can be beneficial for background understanding of issues I work, I have found not much proactive use for a lot of what I learn. Most of what has helped me perform better in my role is training/feedback I have received at work and just from working over the past few years.

I have been a member of a few social groups including netball and pub club. There have been other activities on offer such as football and knitting club. There are many professional networking events such as a three day economic conference I attended. There are groups within my department that hold their own events too e.g. FLAG events. After work drinks are also a common social activity.

Yes

While I don't have many opinions on the GES as they do not seem that involved in our scheme. I would recommend being an economist within government as there is interesting and engaging work going on across departments. My experiences so far have also seen my team and department being very supportive of my scheme and general professional development so it feels like a place that you can thrive.

While you don't need economics knowledge for this course I think it helps having some background for when you start your degree. Even if you haven't studied economics before (e.g. at A-Levels) it can be useful to read up a bit on basics. Be prepared to put in a lot of work too.