From apprenticeships in marketing to management, HR to engineering – and everything in between – we’re confident there’s a place for you.
Since 2020, we’ve taken on over 200 apprentices, across 30 apprenticeship programmes, and 9 different business units as part of our commitment to providing rewarding careers across all aspects of the energy industry.
And in the last year alone, our brilliant cohort included 46 non-field apprentices who joined our team for the opportunity to kick start their careers, receive award winning training, and make a real impact for our people and planet.
To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, we caught up with Nimra, an apprentice in our Emerging Talent Team. Reflecting on her career path, apprenticeship journey, and a typical day in the life, Nimra tells her story below.
Nimra’s story
I didn’t know anyone who had done an apprenticeship, so I thought they were just for trade jobs. Then I discovered all the varied opportunities to learn and get qualifications within different careers.
After leaving school, I initially explored academic and full-time employment routes into a career - but I knew I wanted to find a way to combine my love of learning with a more hands-on approach.
And when I discovered apprenticeships – and the range offered by Centrica - I knew that I had found exactly that.
Shaping the future of our apprenticeships
Now two years on, my journey at Centrica has allowed me to work across varied placements in both the Data Science and Emerging Talent teams – giving me the opportunity to experience different aspects of the business and discover what I enjoy most.
I’ve found my passion in my current role as a Data Analyst, which involves going behind the scenes of our apprenticeships by exploring the data from the programme and using the skills I’ve learnt to help shape the future of it. How exciting!
Inspiring the next generation
Since joining the apprenticeship scheme, I have learnt so much about myself and the possibilities an apprenticeship can unlock. Now I want to pass these learnings on to others – showing them the value of alternative career paths and encouraging them to explore the one that works best for them.
That’s why I’ve taken part in Centrica’s mentorship programme - helping onboarding new joiners, answer their questions and get them settled – as well as volunteered as an ambassador for ‘Not Going to Uni’ - a platform for young people to share their experiences and spread awareness of apprenticeships.
My advice for future apprentices? It would be to take every opportunity, because you never know where it’ll take you. Make the most of this time by building your network, speaking up about your passions, and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.
Looking forward
I’m now coming to the end of my training and I’m excited to have been offered a permanent role within my team, where I can continue to develop my skills and grow my career at Centrica. I can’t wait to see what comes next!
A day in the life
Every day is different at Centrica, with the flexibility to work from home or from within one of the Centrica offices across the UK.
When I do go into the office and catch-up with my team in-person, my day might look a little something like this…
9:00 AM
I arrive at the office ready to start the day – this is when you can usually find me grabbing a coffee from the canteen
9:30 AM
Once I’m settled in, I’ll use this time to check my calendar, emails and the internal intranet to get myself organised for the day ahead
10:00 AM
Making the most of being in the office, I’ll have an in-person catch up with my manager to go through progress updates on the data reports that I work on
10:30 AM
Time to get stuck into the details! I’ll review the documentation, specifics and stakeholder requirements for each of my projects to make sure we’re on track
11:30 AM
My role involves analysing data from our apprenticeship programme, so I’ll spend this time gathering data sources for our team to evaluate
1:00 PM
Over lunch, I love tuning in to webinars hosted by Centrica’s Women’s Network to hear colleagues across the business speak about their passions and experiences.
2:30 PM
Back to work! I’ll streamline the datasets I gathered earlier, making it easier to plan the dashboards that will tell the story of these numbers.
3:00 PM
I always make sure to set out some time in my day to check in on my peers, helping out with any of their questions or projects where I can.
3:30 PM
I’ll also put aside an hour to update my apprenticeship portfolio with my latest work, allowing me track my progress and development so far.
4:30 PM
Before I head out, I like to catch-up with the rest of my team – debriefing on our day, trading notes on our learnings, and plan for tomorrow.
5:00 PM
Time to head home after another exciting day in the life of an apprentice.
Bring on another!