Environmental Practitioner Degree Apprentice Review

Item: Environmental Practitioner Degree Apprentice at Jacobs
Rating: 4
Author: Anonymous

at Jacobs

Degree Apprenticeship

Environmental Science, Sustainability

London

Review Submitted: April 2026

Overall Rating

4 /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!

3.5/5 - Overview of Role

5/5 - Skills Development

4/5 - 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

My apprenticeship began within the Environmental team, where I gained experience working across multiple environmental disciplines and supporting the delivery of Environmental Impact Assessments. This included attending a range of site visits and contributing to the authoring and coordination of technical environmental reports.
Alongside my core environmental role, I had the opportunity to broaden my business understanding by supporting teams beyond the environmental function, including sales, stakeholder engagement, health and safety, and internal communications.
On a day-to-day basis, I worked on client-facing reports assessing environmental impacts, either authoring sections directly or coordinating inputs from technical specialists across the business. I supported projects for clients across a variety of sectors, while also completing continuous professional development activities to strengthen my commercial awareness and understanding of how the wider business operates.

To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

3/5

My apprenticeship was both rewarding and challenging, and it gave me a realistic insight into what balancing work and study truly involves. As a brand new (at the time) apprenticeship, there were changes to the programme along the way, which at times felt like the goalposts were moving. While the support from my university wasn’t always as consistent as I would have hoped, the support I received from my employer made a significant difference—particularly during more demanding periods.
An apprenticeship won’t suit everyone. It’s important to be genuinely passionate about the subject you’re studying and to recognise that degree apprenticeships are a long-term commitment. Having the right support network around you is essential, as is ensuring your employer fully understands the requirements of the programme. This allows them to better support you when managing multiple deadlines across both work and university life.
Despite the challenges, the benefits are significant. Graduating without student debt, gaining years of industry experience, and building trusted relationships early in your career puts you in a strong position compared to many traditional graduates. For me, the apprenticeship has opened up more opportunities for career progression and development, making it a valuable and worthwhile experience overall.

Skills Development

Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

5/5

- Technical understanding where I previously had none
- Understanding of wider business operations and processes
- Softer skills, including time management, organisation, communication

Structure and Support

How well organised/structured is your programme?

3/5

Already mentioned, but I was in the first cohort of my apprenticeship, which meant there were several big changes (including end dates, moving to a project instead of dissertation, etc) throughout the programme. This meant that the structure felt very fluid and lacked finality, which in the last 2 years of a 6 year programme, felt very confusing and frustrating at times. However, this programme will have been running for a few years now, so experiences may be completely different for those in later years.

How much support do you receive from your employer?

5/5

I cannot fault my employer, who recognised the impacts of changing goal posts on us as individuals. I was able to get exposure to lots of projects and activities internally that helped increase my visibility across the business. Jacobs are fully supportive of getting apprentices involved in different types of work.

How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?

2/5

At times there was no communication from our university when things were changing, and a complete lack of empathy when we raised concerns. It did feel challenging at times, and that we were trying to negotiate things instead of being heard and given compromises. When we tried to give feedback to help support future years, we were left feeling as though the university were half-listening and not willing to make some amendments. The lecturers were nice people, but going from being in the workplace to being in the learning environment, it felt like going from a valued member of a team who listen, to being back at school.

How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?

5/5

My apprenticeship qualification has given me a strong and well-rounded understanding of environmental consultancy, including the different environmental disciplines, relevant accreditations, and the best practice that underpins the profession. This foundation has been invaluable in enabling me to confidently engage with technical environmental information and understand it in depth.
Since completing my apprenticeship, I have moved into a related role within social value. While this is an adjacent discipline, my environmental background remains highly relevant—particularly when considering how organisations can go beyond project-specific requirements to deliver wider environmental benefits.

Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)

5/5

- lots of socials, through the early careers network, or through project teams/disciplines, or the different employee networks we have. This includes sports/activities and not just going for drinks and food!
- We have a range of employee networks, that have individuals across the business (e.g other countries, more senior/junior) who are members
- we send staff to CPD/networking/awards events, which allows us to meet people across the industry

Recommendations & Advice

Would you recommend Jacobs to a friend?

Yes

Why?

I would recommend Jacobs to anyone looking for a supportive and inclusive workplace. The company has a strong, flexible working culture that recognises people have different needs at different stages of their lives. The diversity across teams means you can genuinely see yourself represented in senior roles, which helps foster a real sense of belonging. Jacobs is also a very social organisation, encouraging people to get involved in employee networks, social events, and wider activities beyond their day-to-day role. There are excellent learning and development opportunities—from CPD lunch and learns and networking events to accredited training and agile career pathways. Movement within the business is actively encouraged, allowing you to explore different projects, programmes, and corporate roles as your interests evolve. Most importantly, the people are friendly, approachable, and genuinely supportive of those starting their careers in a corporate environment.

What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Jacobs?

Try and connect with people over LinkedIn, have a curious mindset, and think about how you can demonstrate you are receptive to change. Our industry is continually adapting, changing and evolving with data and AI as well as new best practice. You need to be comfortable with this!

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