Data Analyst

Learning Programme Content

The Learning Programme provision shall comprise of three mandatory elements:

•       Qualifications,

•       Essential Skills

•       On/off the job training

The total minimum credit value required for the Level 4 - Data Analytics is 124 credits.

Entry requirements

There are no specific entry requirements for this framework, however:

Employers are looking to widen the pool of potential recruits into data roles and they are particularly interested in:

•       adult learners who are employed in roles that require data handling and analysis, and wish to improve their data analysis skills.

•       adult learners who wish to become data engineers or data analysts who wish to move into digital roles.

•       adult learners who wish to enhance their work-related data skills.

•       young people, aged over the age of 16 who wish to gain a qualification in data analytics .

Applicants may have prior experience or qualifications in digital technologies but this is not mandatory as training providers and employers will deliver programmes of training based on approved up to date qualifications tailored to meet individual needs, recognising prior qualifications and experience.

Apprenticeship pathway learning programme(s)

Level 4: Data Analyst

Level 4: Data Analyst Qualifications

Participants must achieve the following combined qualification below.

Please see Annex 1 for the relationship between the competence and knowledge units within the combined qualification.

Essential Skills Wales (ESW)

Essential Skills Wales qualifications assessment languages are English-Welsh

On/Off the Job training

On/Off the Job Qualification details (Minimum Credit & Hours)

124 credits for competence and knowledge - Level 4 - Diploma in Data Analytics (Combined).

The total amount of learning hours which includes both on and off-the-job training for the Data Analytics Higher Apprenticeship is 765.

On/Off the Job Essential Skills details (Minimum Credit & Hours)

• 6 credits / 60 GLH Level 2 Essential Skills Wales Communication
• 6 credits / 60 GLH Level 2 Essential Skills Wales Application of Number
• 6 credits / 60 GLH Level 2 Essential Skills Wales Digital Literacy

Other additional requirements

There are no additional requirements

Job roles

The Data Analyst Apprenticeship has been designed with employers in Wales to address the need for data analyst practitioner skills across all sectors. This Apprenticeship programme is designed to provide a robust vocational route to filling the current and future skills need for Data Analytics professionals.

The roles covered by this framework could either be within:

• Data centric organisations providing development and/or operational data services to a range of clients; or
• Organisations operating in any sector which make use of IT Systems to process and store data of any type.

The range of organisations for which these roles will be relevant includes obvious ones such as large retailers, engineering and manufacturing, financial services providers and government departments but in reality, almost all users of IT Systems of any sort.

Data Analyst

Transforming, validating or modeling data with the purpose of understanding or making conclusions from the data for decision making purposes

Data Engineer

Preparing data for analytical or operational uses. Designing and building data pipelines to bring together information from different source systems. Integrating, consolidating, cleansing and structuring data into easily accessible and usable formats.

Data Manager

Management of large, highly dynamic data sets, often referred to as ‘Big Data’. The data will be derived from a range of sources and can relate to contexts including business and scientific or social research.

Progression

Progression routes into:

This can be from a variety of routes including directly from school or college with the suggested level of academic qualifications including:

• GCSE, Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification Intermediate
• GCE AS and A Level, Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification Advanced
• General or vocational qualifications related to the digital or creative industries

Or as career development in an appropriate role with suitable qualifications or recognition of prior learning and experience.

Progression from:

The Level 4 Apprenticeship programme offers successful apprentices the opportunity to further progress in their studies and undertake a Foundation Degree or HND in Computing or continue with their data specialisation and undertake the level 6 degree apprenticeship in Data Science or a related digital technology programme. They can also progress within their job role and pursue their learning by undertaking additional technical professional qualifications in data analytics.

Apprentices who complete this Level 4 apprenticeship programme can progress within their career to take on team leader or more senior data practitioner positions, utilising their expanding technical expertise within the organisation.

Equality and diversity

It is important that Apprenticeship Pathways are inclusive and can demonstrate an active approach to identifying and removing barriers to entry and progression. Pathways should advance equality of opportunity between persons who share protected characteristics and those persons who do not as identified in the Equality Act 2010.

The Protected characteristics identified in the Equality Act are age, disability, gender re-assignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity. Marriage and civil partnership is also included although only in respect of the requirement to eliminate discrimination in employment.

Training providers and employers must also comply with the other duty under the Equality Act 2010 to ensure that applicants are not discriminated against in terms of entry to the industry based upon those nine protected characteristics.

The Data Analytics Pathway offers no barriers to entry and is intended to accommodate all learners regardless of gender, age, disability or ethnic origin.

The learning content required for the off-the-job learning can be delivered in a number of different learning styles to accommodate learner requirements.

Employers and training providers are expected to comply with the Equality Act 2010 to ensure that applicants are not discriminated against in terms of entry to, and progression within the sector, using the protected characteristics.

The following sections are included to identify current workforce demographics. (Data refers to the UK as a whole and to the whole of the IT & Telecoms sector of which Information Security is a part)

GENDER EQUALITY

Gender imbalance remains a significant issue for the IT & Telecoms sector. Considering IT & Telecoms professional job roles across all sectors, there has been a drop of female representation from 22% in 2001 to 18% in 2011. This compares to the overall UK workforce being 48% female.

As is the case in industry, gender imbalance is prevalent across IT-related courses, and this is worsening over time throughout the education system. 15% of applicants to Computing degree courses are female and the proportion of females who sat the 2013 Computing A-Level is 6.5%, 1.3 percentage points lower than in 2012. This under-representation of women across the whole IT & Telecoms sector has a number of causes including:

• a lack of awareness (by both individuals and career advisors) of the broad range of career opportunities available
• confusion in school teaching of ICT between IT User and IT professional roles

AGE OF WORKFORCE

Analysis of the period 2001-2011 shows a changing trend in the age profile of IT & Telecoms professionals. The proportion of people aged 16-29 has dropped from 33% in 2001 to 19% in 2011.

The average age of IT & Telecoms professionals working in the UK is estimated to be 39 years old, compared with 41 years old for workers more generally. Just under one half (47%) of IT & Telecoms professionals are aged 40 or above and less than one in five (19%) are in the 16-29 age bracket.

A key contributory factor to this changing dynamic in IT & Telecoms is the effect of globalisation. The maintenance of strong apprenticeship programmes in the sector will be vital to ensure that this trend can be halted or reversed in the coming years, thereby ensuring that the sector has the pipeline of skilled professionals that it requires to move into higher level job roles in 5-10 years’ time.

ETHNICITY AND DISABILITY

The Information and communication technologies industry is one of the most ethnically diverse industries in the UK, with 13% of the workforce (an increase from 8% of the workforce in 2002) Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic compared to 9% across the whole economy.

There is significant provision for individuals with disabilities throughout the IT & Telecoms sector with many, varied opportunities for rewarding careers at all levels. This in turn means that apprenticeships are available in a wide range of areas for those with differing levels of disability.

Employment responsibilities and rights

Employment Responsibilities and Rights (ERR) is no longer compulsory.  But it is recommended that all apprentices (especially the 16 years -18 year group) receive a company induction programme.

Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of the Training Provider and Employer to ensure that the requirements of this pathway are delivered in accordance with the Welsh Government Apprenticeships Guidance.

 Further information may be obtained from: Welsh Government

DfES-ApprenticeshipUnit@gov.wales

Document revisions