Apprentice Economist Review
at Government Economic Service
Degree Apprenticeship
Data Analysis
Birmingham
Review Submitted: April 2024
Overall Rating
4.1 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
4/5
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Overview of Role
4/5
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Skills Development
3.8/5
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Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
4/5
I work in Security and Online harms which involves lots of Impact Assessment work, including modelling of topical Government regulation, reviewing and assessing new research into online harms that can be used by policy teams, and ad-hoc help around different areas of the team, such as help on call for evidence.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
4/5
I have really enjoyed my time on my apprenticeship so far, I've had 2 great roles, and 2 great line managers alongside that. However I do think the extent you an enjoy a role highly depends on how much responsibility your manager gives you, as I know of other apprentices that are basically just given admin work.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
4/5
I had never done an impact assessment before joining my current team, and it's a hugely important skill for any Government economist as it is the backbone of economic work. I've now even led one myself which has also greatly helped my leadership skills, and my organisation skills.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
4/5
So far the whole thing has been very well structured, with 4 days on the job and 1 day studying for uni every week. There have been a few miscommunications from the uni on things such as group projects, but has been fine for the most part.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
5/5
We receive lots of support, we have dedicated members of staff who we can go to with any questions regarding our apprenticeship. So far both of my line managers have also been very accommodating with uni work, allowing me time to focus on the academic side when I have an essay/exam etc.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
3/5
We have a live webinar every friday where any questions can be answered, and a forum where questions can be asked, however this isn't utilised very often. Lecturers can also be emailed, but sometimes answers aren't prompt. There are also other services to help with skills (eg maths) but I haven't used these.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
3/5
Some modules I've done help more than others, like the more practical things such the excel module greatly helped to perform better in my role(s) but other modules just sometimes don't link, like last year I was in a very macro-centric role, so when I did micro it didn't provide much help in a job capacity
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
4/5
Yes there's lots of different activities, networks etc. to get involved in. Individual offices will have their own social activities a couple of times per month, but then there'll be wider departmental ones such as away days.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Government Economic Service to a friend?
Yes
Why?
It's a good place to work to develop lots of different skills, as you tend to work on a variety of different tasks, and not just have tunnel vision on one individual type of task.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Government Economic Service?
If you like focusing on a specific task in a long term capacity then this probably isn't the role for you, if however you like experiencing lots of different tasks, testing and building on lots of different skills, then you should definitely apply.
