Seizing the Data Opportunity
"Since I started in May, I've been using what I'm learning all the time. It makes things so accessible from a data perspective."
"If you get the opportunity to do the data programme, you shouldn't even blink. You shouldn't even think about it. It should just be an immediate yes..."
"I did blink. My husband went to Imperial College London. I told him the opportunity I've been presented with, and his response was: “If you don't take up the opportunity, I will divorce you.” So that was the end of that conversation. So I did, and I was terrified.
But actually, I threw myself into it wholeheartedly. And I think that's my advice to anyone who wants to take on the apprenticeship is just hold it with both hands and take everything you can from it because it is an opportunity so many people would absolutely love to have, and if you are given it, just take it and learn from it because you're only going to upskill yourself. You're only going to improve yourself."
For Michaela Ingram, a member of the People team at Hiscox, the decision to join the Corndel data programme was initially anxiety-inducing. Still, since starting in May, she’s actively applied her learning to enhance her work in HR and found it practical and immediately applicable:
“When my boss first asked me if I wanted to do the data programme with Corndel, I was a bit taken aback and didn't really know what to expect. After considering it, I decided to go for it because it sounded interesting, and we’re moving into a much more data-driven world.
Since I started in May, I've been using what I'm learning all the time. It makes things so accessible from a data perspective. I use data all the time. You wouldn't necessarily think of the people team as using data a lot, but I do. We analyse our workforce, why people leave, etc., and I apply the skills I've gained, consistently improving through the course alone."
"I told him the opportunity I've been presented with, and his response was: “If you don't take up the opportunity, I will divorce you.” So that was the end of that conversation."
Michaela's journey shows that apprenticeships are not just about theoretical learning, but also about finding opportunities for practical application within the workplace. For example, the programme helped her have the confidence to generate insightful reports and dashboards using Power BI. She now regularly collaborates with senior stakeholders, presenting data-driven findings to help drive organisational decisions.
"It's the little things like this that used to make me apprehensive, but now I have the confidence to navigate Excel comfortably."
"The programme helped me to create Power BI reports for senior colleagues. The feedback I received was amazing...
Colleagues from different teams now ask me, 'Could you show us how to do that? It would be really useful.' Suddenly, I have these valuable skills, all because of the Power BI module, and it’s been so enlightening.
While I had a grasp of Excel, I now realise it was only a small fraction of its capabilities. I’m no longer scared of it! I remember when I was first introduced to pivot tables in this role, I felt completely lost. I wondered, 'How do they even function? Why is it so challenging to make them do what I want?'
Now, I embrace pivot tables with enthusiasm. It's the little things like this that used to make me apprehensive, but now I have the confidence to navigate Excel comfortably."
