Arch Apprentices, one of the UK’s leading training providers, has launched a new apprenticeship standard for data analysts.
The 24-month standard will incorporate a range of skills based on data analysis and will be open to both new entrants to the discipline as well as more established and experienced candidates.
Arch Apprentices Director of Learning & Development John Pritchard commented: “Data analytics is new to the marketplace, so it’s vital that we got buy in from across a wide range of stakeholders to ensure the new standard was fit for purpose.
“The employer group that we worked with knew that data analysis was a growing requirement across all industries but because nothing existed previously, there was a lot more work to do to bring it to fruition,” he continued.
Blue chip employers
Pritchard led the efforts to develop the standard from scratch, and he says it took four months to take on board employer feedback and design a standard that would be applicable to and portable across a range of sectors and industries.
For larger companies the importance of harvesting, storing and utilizing data is now at the top of the agenda. And with the Apprenticeship Levy set to arrive, the timing of the new standard is ideal. Upskilling graduates to help develop skills to handle data analytics will be a critical importance going forward.
Some of the companies that have been involved in the standard’s development have ranged from banking and finance to retail and the Armed Forces. The Arch experts also consulted with specialist companies in the bio-science and forensics sectors which have specific data needs.
“Many of these companies handle very sensitive data,” Pritchard says. “They need to be sure that their data is properly and securely handled and that requires skill. It needs to be saved, and catalogued and searched properly – that makes the business run a lot smoother and more efficiently.
The standard has been designed to be both deep in terms of the knowledge and skills delivered to candidates, and broad in terms of the range of industries and applications it will cover.
“The flexibility within the standard allows anyone from an experienced digital marketer to a total novice to progress smoothly, so it’s a great skill to have under your belt,” Pritchard says.
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More information on the new standard can be found here: www.archapprentices.co.uk
Arch is one of the biggest providers of young talent into industries in the UK. Awarded Ofsted Outstanding, we deliver training to the existing workforce or help recruit young talent into businesses through Apprenticeship & Graduate Schemes.
Arch recently launched the Arch Levy Services, a service that enables companies to maximise the return on investment from the Apprenticeship Levy.
Over 1,000 people and 500 employers are enjoying the benefits of Arch. Initially set up by the Blenheim Chalcot Group as an internal initiative to source great talent for the Group and its companies, Arch now has over 3 years’ experience delivering services to other employers including Google, Facebook, The Guardian, Barclays, John Lewis, Waitrose.
