Apprentice Economist Review

I work in the major rail projects analysis team at DfT which produces analysis and business cases for all high speed rail schemes. My day to day role is supporting the production of economic analysis and evidence for the strategic case for Northern Powerhouse Rail.

I have developed many skills over the past two years I have been in this role including mapping skills in QGIS, improved my use of excel and have recently learnt the basics of using R. This apprenticeship has also helped improve my confidence and ability at speaking in front of groups.

I really enjoy the programme. It can feel very busy having to work full time whilst also doing a degree and be hard to motivate yourself to do university work after working all day but its defiantly worth it for the skills and experience you get.

now I am two years in I find it to be well organised. When I first joined the university part was unclear and we didn't have access to software for a long while. Also because no years have fully finished the apprenticeship yet there is still uncertainty about end point assessments and what happens once you've finished the apprenticeship.

The team I am in are very supportive though the work part of the role and degree part are not very joined up.

As much or as little as you want. All material is pre recorded but there are weekly drop in sessions and webinars with lecturers to ask questions. every 8 weeks you meet with an apprenticeship advisor to discuss both how you are getting on with work and uni and people are reachable by email if needed.

Sometimes it feels as though you can do a lot of the job without the degree but there are definitely parts and background knowledge that are very useful to be learning. Though work and university could be more joint up sometimes to ensure you are applying what you're learning in the degree.

It depends on your individual team and whether you choose to attend networking events, though it definitely wont be as much as university's would be. In my role my team are very social and often organise socials after work. There are lots of networking events you can choose to attend and the apprentices on the scheme have also created a social committee and organise events where we all meet and socialise.

Yes

4 years of experience, a good wage and a free degree!

Be confident in interviews. You are not necessarily expected to have much background knowledge on economics but just to show a keen interest and drive to want to learn and work