Sam joined NSAR in 2021 as a Data Analyst apprentice in the Workforce Planning team. He has recently finished his apprenticeship with First-Class Honours.
The idea of doing an apprenticeship had always appealed. “It made sense,” Sam says. “An apprenticeship is three years of work experience, three years of pay. And you’re getting the same qualification that you get if you went to university.”
Sam’s brother, Matt, was also completing a Data Analyst apprenticeship with NSAR. “He suggested that the company were looking for data apprentices and I give it a go… Data analysis was always something that interested me – sport is a big passion of mine and I’ve always enjoyed the statistical side of sport.”
The apprenticeship took three years, combining practical work experience with online learning. Balancing work and study proved manageable, with NSAR prioritising Sam’s dedicated study day. “NSAR was very good at protecting my study day and allowing me to have that,” he says. “One of the real upsides to the apprenticeship was that I studied during working hours and I could still maintain my spare time.”
A typical workday for Sam involves data-centric tasks, often focused on workforce analysis. “Our clients send me data about who works for them. I take it, clean it and present it back to them, generating insights in terms of gender, age, diversity, all the important topics to do with workforce.
“I get a data set and think ‘How can I create the most value for this client that I’m working with? How can I present the data differently to them?’”
The benefits of the apprenticeship go beyond technical skills. “What I feel I’ve gained most from the apprenticeship is intangible skills. I always say to people that what I have enjoyed most is having responsibility placed on me and knowing that ultimately I’ve got to make sure that the work gets done.”
While acknowledging the potential trade-offs regarding the traditional university social experience, Sam emphasises the unique advantages of apprenticeships. “The opportunities from a work perspective that the apprenticeship has provided me are huge. Being thrown in to the workplace at the age of 18 develops you as a person. You learn so much about yourself and about life.”
Looking to the future, Sam sees management as a potential next step. “I have a degree in data science, I have got a lot of options available to me. Having had the experience now of doing an apprenticeship, management seems like a good option to me.
“It’s the ability to pass that experience on and help people grow and hopefully get themselves degrees, get themselves up the ladder, just like I hope to do in the next few years.”