Lifelong learning: Insights from a data apprentice

Our Digital Programmes & Platform Manager, Caitlin Brown, reflects on her experience as a Level 4 Data Analyst Apprentice.  

When I was at secondary school in the late 2000s, apprenticeships weren’t something that was on the radar of many state schools. They certainly weren’t suggested to me as a viable career pathway, unlike university options which were highly promoted. Likewise, they were not something that my parents ever spoke to me about, and I doubt they knew anything about them.

So in 2022, when my manager at the time asked me if I was interested in an opportunity to take part in a data apprenticeship, I had a lot of questions about what that would involve! Mainly, how does it actually work?

As apprenticeships have to be completed within work hours and my workload would not be changing, I was concerned about how this would affect my role, and the wider impact this could have on my team. I was fortunate that I was able to take a break from the apprenticeship while I changed roles, and that the Sutton Trust supported me in continuing my course.

Having the provision in place, in the form of a study break, ensures a learner can continue their apprenticeship journey and not lose all the hard work they have put in. This is so important, particularly as the completion rates for kids from lower social-economic backgrounds are about 10% lower than for their better off peers.

My Level 4 Data Analyst Fellowship is run by Multiverse and funded by Tech She Can. It is delivered entirely online, with teaching happening approximately once a month, over 2-4 weekdays, with each session lasting 3 hours. Some weeks there would be no teaching, just prep work for the next online sessions and a requirement to spend 20% of my working hours on course-related work.

When I started my role at the Sutton Trust, the module on relational databases really helped me to understand the Trust’s data architecture and how it applies to my role of Digital Programmes and Platform Manager. I’ve definitely picked it up quicker because of my understanding of why it was structured that way! During my time at the Trust I’ve also completed projects on data visualisations, in addition to analysis of student engagement with our platform.

Although I’m only part-way through my apprenticeship journey, I’ve really enjoyed the flexible and hands-on nature of this qualification, and it’s helping develop my career in ways I’d never expected!

Learn more about our programmes offering to young people interested in apprenticeships.