From Apprentice to Data Consultant: how degree apprenticeships are building the UK’s next generation of digital talent
The UK economy is continuously digitising, with demand in AI, data and cyber skills growing fast, but skills shortages remain. This, coupled with the ability to earn qualifications and degrees without any student debt, as well as gaining industry experience in parallel, makes Digital Technology apprenticeships highly lucrative to school leavers or those looking to pivot their career or upskill.
Digital, Technology and AI related apprenticeships in England have surged in recent years, growing at an average of 12.0% from 2020/21 to reach 27,380 new starters in 2024/25, accounting for 7.7% of all starters. This ranks it as the 5th most started apprenticeship, rising from 7th place in 2020/21.
For employers, apprenticeships are a powerful way to attract talent and diversify their mix of staff, while delivering immediate value and ROI to the business, as apprentices can apply their learning and skills into practice from day one.
We spoke with our Data Consultant, Tom Hayward, who recently graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Digital and Technology Solutions (Data) through his apprenticeship with Multiverse. See our Q&A, where he shares his experience of completing an apprenticeship whilst working full-time at Armstrong:
What was it like being an apprentice and how does it feel to graduate?
I really loved my experience of working and learning at the same time. Being able to gain real world experience and skills on the job was personally the best mix for me, as I knew towards the end of studying for my A-levels that I wanted to work full time. My course coaches provided a great environment to learn about topics and technologies, whilst also guiding me in applying that into my day-to-day responsibilities. It feels great to have graduated, it was a long time coming and a lot of work was put in. I’m really pleased with the end result and it was a great experience overall.
How did you balance work and studying for your degree?
Work and studying sometimes came hand in hand as I studied an applied degree – I would be learning something on my course, and was able to improve that skill through using it to bring business value to Armstrong. Admittedly, there were stressful moments when assignment deadlines coincided with regular work responsibilities, but I had the full support of Multiverse and Armstrong in giving me the space, exposure and experience to embrace studying.
What skills have you developed during your apprenticeship?
I’ve learnt so many soft and hard skills from my apprenticeship. The most interesting ones for me were in statistics and machine learning, where I built ad-hoc models to solve specific business problems. I found these topics and skills really interesting and highly relevant to today’s digital world. I also learnt wider project management skills such as applying frameworks and methodologies to follow best practices and have a formal documented process of why we should or shouldn’t do something.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced?
The style of learning and assignment marking was different to anything I had done before. It took some getting used to, particularly around taking the project brief and marking criteria into the context of my chosen projects and understanding what was being asked of me from an educational perspective. But after my first few assignments, I became more comfortable with academic writing and learned how to position my projects in the context of delivering business value for Armstrong.
How did Armstrong support your development?
Armstrong was incredibly supportive during my apprenticeship. I was given the time and resources needed to study and apply these skills to my work – Armstrong understood that learning was extremely important for this part of my development. The team were incredibly supportive and often read through my assignments, amongst other things.
Do you feel you were able to deliver value to Armstrong from day one?
Definitely. From day one, I was able to apply apprenticeship-related learning directly into Armstrong. For example, the PowerBI and M Script tools I developed throughout my apprenticeship enabled us to map a targetco’s client base across specific regions in the UK, helping to define ICPs and identify any regional dominance. I think the skills I learnt on my apprenticeship are quite unique to the firm, which means we help each other out!
What advice would you give to someone considering a degree apprenticeship?
You have to go for it. It’s hard work, but extremely rewarding when you complete a project that helps you earn a degree and also builds value for the company. University didn’t particularly appeal to me – I wanted to learn and earn money at the same time. Now I have a full BSc (Hons) without any student debt, and over 4 years of industry experience! It’s put me in a really great position for the rest of my career, and I can’t thank Armstrong enough for providing me with the resources to do this.
You can find out more about working at Armstrong here or speak to a member of the team.