Summer Work Experience at Edge Health

At Edge, we invest in our work experience programme because we believe that early careers experience is important for personal and professional development. Two of our core values are supporting and advancing the NHS and taking ownership of everything we do. The programme puts both into practice, giving students the chance to work on NHS-focused analysis and own a project from start to finish.

This summer we welcomed nine students across two week-long placements, making it the largest work experience cohort Edge Health has hosted so far. The group brought together school and university students with a shared curiosity about how data and analysis shape decisions in the NHS. Students participated in a structured programme, with a wide range of sessions and two hands-on projects drawn from the kind of work our team does every day. 

Programme structure

To give students the best possible exposure to the work we do, we grouped our sessions into themes, ranging from AI and machine learning, life sciences and data engineering to the NHS and social care. Sessions were run by Analysts, Consultants, Senior Consultants and Directors, giving students the opportunity to engage with colleagues across Edge.

Together, these sessions gave students an insight into the different areas of our work and a clearer picture of what working at a consultancy like Edge involves, from scoping a project with a client to turning analysis into a recommendation. Senior Analysts also ran careers and CV sessions, sharing practical advice on applications and next steps. We see these as just as important as the technical learning, as they help students build transferable skills they can take with them wherever they go next.

Real-life tasks

We believe students learn the most when they are working on something meaningful. Each student independently worked through one of two projects, both based on the type of analysis we carry out for NHS clients. The sessions gave students the context, and the projects gave them the chance to put it into practice.

The technical coding task asked students to work through a synthetic dataset, following the same analytical process our team uses on client projects. Supported by guided materials, students used R to clean the data, build visualisations and draw a narrative from their findings. The health economics task asked students to carry out a cost-effectiveness analysis, learning how to compare treatments using the measures that sit behind many NHS funding decisions.

By the end of the week, students presented their findings to a panel, explaining what their results might mean for patients and services. The students received feedback on their work and presentations, with advice on skills they can keep developing in academic and professional settings.

Student experiences

We believe that feedback goes both ways, and we asked students to reflect on their week with us.

“Edge Health is a very welcoming company that helped me grow during my time there. I learned various transferable skills, and I would definitely recommend the work experience programme for anyone who is looking to go into or explore data analytics and consulting.”
School Student

“I am so glad I took part in this work experience week! The support I felt from people all throughout the company was so useful in getting the most from my time here. What I have gained in knowledge and perspective is invaluable, and I would love all my further work experiences to be just as immaculate as this one.”
University Student

“My time at Edge Health was very enjoyable and I managed to learn a lot, as well as gain valuable insight about healthcare consultancy in a short period of time!”
School Student

Looking ahead

Work experience is just one part of our wider school outreach and engagement work. We aim to give students an early look at careers in healthcare analytics and consulting, routes they may not otherwise come across at school or university.

Our outreach includes school talks and our Aspire Summer Internship, a paid placement designed to help people build the skills to succeed in health data consulting, with a particular focus on opening up opportunities for people from under-represented backgrounds.

We hope to keep growing the early careers programme in future. If you are a student interested in healthcare analytics or consulting, make sure to keep an eye on our careers page and LinkedIn for future opportunities.