To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, we caught up with Mark Briddock, BI Analyst Apprentice at Plus Dane, to hear about his journey so far, what a typical day looks like in the BI team, and why he’d recommend an apprenticeship with us:
I started my journey at Plus Dane just after completing my A-Levels and receiving my results. At the time, I was debating whether university was the right path for me. Ultimately, I couldn’t make the finances work, so I began exploring alternative options.
When the opportunity for a BI Analyst Apprentice role came up, I remember reading the job description and thinking - this sounds like me. It genuinely felt like the right fit. I applied, got the role, and that’s where my apprenticeship journey began.
In the early days, I found the balance between work and study manageable. But like anything worthwhile, it gradually became more challenging. As the programme progressed, the expectations increased, and there were definitely a few late nights - especially in the lead-up to my End Point Assessment (EPA).
For anyone unfamiliar, the EPA is the final assessment of the apprenticeship. After 18 months of learning, completing coursework and building experience, everything ultimately came down to a 2.5-hour presentation and professional discussion. It felt like a lot riding on one moment - but it was also a great opportunity to reflect on how much I’d developed.
Apparently, I didn’t learn my lesson the first time… because I’m now registered and about to start my Level 5!
A typical day for me starts with checking our dashboards in Qlik Sense to make sure everything is running as it should and that there are no data errors. If any issues crop up, I work with the team to investigate and resolve them.
From there, I’ll move on to reports and data requests that have come into the BI team, making sure colleagues across the organisation have the information they need. I also spend time developing new Qlik Sense dashboards or updating existing ones, as well as supporting the team on wider BI projects that are in progress.
My favourite thing about Plus Dane is how friendly and approachable everyone is. There are no silly questions, and everyone is happy to help with any issues.
One thing I’ve learned since starting my apprenticeship - that I didn’t necessarily expect - is just how valued everyone’s opinion is, regardless of their role or level of experience. Different views are not just accepted but encouraged as they shine a different light and view point on a situation.
I would 100% recommend an apprenticeship at Plus Dane. They are very flexible, providing support in all ways possible. The levels of support they offer are next to none.
