As an apprentice in Anglian Water you receive support from everyone in the business.
If you are ever stuck on something, you will find someone who is a subject matter expert that will help you.
I have also had the support and encouragement to participate in workshops and courses that help improve soft skills that are not taught at the college like presenting or workload management.
From the apprenticeship I am not only able to learn technical skills for Data Analysis like Power BI, I am also able to develop soft skills like presenting and workload management that will help me in any role I end up going to after the apprenticeship.
At college I have learnt how to program in Python and R and have even become Microsoft accredited for those languages through the college, as well as getting a final qualification at the end of my course that is endorsed by the biggest IT charted institute in the United Kingdom.
I would describe the culture at Anglian Water as being friendly and supportive. A really good atmosphere to be an apprentice in. The variety of projects that I am able to work on are the best bit about my role. It allows me to learn what different parts of the business do and allows me to gain a better understanding of the sort of job role I would want to be in after the apprenticeship is finished.
I would recommend Anglian Water because it really is a great company to work for. The culture is relaxed but motivating, they really encourage and support professional growth as well as supporting personal development where they can.
This is also why they’re a great company for apprenticeships, they facilitate learning and development and you can ask anyone in the business for help or some guidance and they will happily help you. The work is varied and often tailored to areas where you need more experience, you are given ample support to progress in these areas to become well-rounded for any future role you might take on within the business or beyond. It’s a great way to learn lots of new professional and technical skills whilst also being employed by a great company and making good connections.
For the course, we study Data Analysis in Python and R and the wider context of data analytics within businesses. Our project work is varied. We have multiple projects at any one time and they can be completely different from each other. Some of my projects have involved representing the company to an external software corporation, investigating and configuring their products to assess their suitability for handling AW data, working with one of our alliance partners and leading a working group of subject matter experts to address the issue of data flow, data input and cleansing with our GIS and leading and facilitating a forum for apprentices across digital and data business areas.
The variation in projects makes sure that the apprenticeship always remains interesting and means that no two days are the same, making it a great way to try out different areas of work to find out what role and area of the business interests you the most.
The manager of our team is very supportive, she always offers guidance and someone to talk to when needed and takes any feedback or suggestions into account. As an apprentice, my experience has been that you are warmly welcomed and offered any support you need no matter who you go to.
The atmosphere with Anglian Water is very friendly and most people who you go to for help will be happy to support and mentor you in areas/topics that are relevant to your projects or development.
I honestly believe the opportunities are endless here and there is something for everyone. I also get to work with different schools to host workshops around STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), different technology skills and I get to share my experiences as an apprentice.
My apprenticeship is equivalent to Computer Science with the added benefit of learning more business skills to give me a broader understanding which is great because it becomes easy to apply what you are learning into the job straight away.
A lot of the projects I have worked on involve improving processes and efficiency by using technology. This requires an understanding of the current business process and limitations and then have a wider understanding of what technology is out there to solve that challenge and build a solution. I also had the chance to run Anglian Water’s Open Data project and host an international hackathon collaborating with other water companies.
It is undeniable the amount of personal and career growth I have experience since starting the apprenticeship.
I have achieved things that I would never thought I would do and moulding my career towards my goals by developing my skills and knowledge. I also get support from my line manager and leadership team mentor who stays with me throughout the programme (4.5 years) and then I also have a placement manager for each placement I go to, to support me in gaining all the skills I need in that area.
I have lots of different support networks and everyone is always willing to help should I need it. I feel like my voice is always listened to and I have the freedom to unleash my creativity as long as I meet the end goal that was given to me.
Anglian Water gives me the flexibility to work from home and office, so I can decide what works for me.
As my level 4 digital apprentice role entails many and varied projects, I find that a hybrid way of working benefits me best. If I am working on Power Apps or I have a lot of online meetings, I find it easier to work from home.
However, if I am working with people in my team or meeting new colleagues, I prefer to go in the office and work/meet in person so that I can get more insight to the people and the work.
One of my main projects has been building a health and safety app that tracks all a user’s health and safety training and administration records.
It is an app that reminds a user when they are due to renew their training and helps managers keep track of their team and nudge them if something is out of day. This has been an ongoing project since January 2021, but the app was release in June. The whole of Asset intelligence (approx. 70 people) is now trained and using the app and we are now preparing for it to go further. The end goal is to have whole of Anglian water using the app and health and safety easier to track.
As well as the Health and Safety App, I have also had projects to build a health and safety report, code other apps and Cost Modelling analysis. I use software such as Power apps, Power Bi, excel and G/Technology.
This Level 4 digital apprentice role allows me to get a level 4 data analysis qualification out of college while gaining work experience in a digital area. It gives me the chance to build skills in software as well as personal skills like communication and workload management.
