Every business, spanning all sizes and sectors, generates data through its daily operations. We all know (or have heard) that data has the potential to power innovation and streamline processes. But without people who have the skills to gather, validate, and analyse your information, data-driven decision making will always be a distant dream.
The Benefits of Investing in Data Expertise
A data specialist can perform different roles for individual businesses. At the cutting edge of data research, you can hire specialists with advanced degrees, including Data Scientists, Machine Learning Engineers, and AI Developers.
However, in most organisations, you are likely to find a range of data job titles, including Data Technicians, Business Analysts, Web Analysts, and Analytics Directors.
At this level, data specialists can extract insight from your business data, forecast trends, explore customer behaviour, summarise feedback, create easy-to-use performance dashboards, apply algorithms, pull user statistics, and integrate complex systems.
To build data skills into your organisation, there are two main routes you can go down: hire someone with the skills you need or grow your own data talent.
Why Train a Data Apprentice?
Data apprenticeships offer an effective, low-cost way to cultivate data expertise within your team. Below, we’ll take you through the top 5 benefits of taking on a data apprentice:
1. Develop the Data Skills You Can’t Recruit For
Data skills are in short supply. According to UK Government research, 46% of businesses have struggled to recruit for roles that require data skills. They estimated that businesses are recruiting for 215,000 roles requiring data skills – but the current supply of data science graduates is less than 10,000 per year. That’s quite the skills gap.
As Steve Caughey, Director of the National Innovation Centre for Data, explains: “people who already have these skills and experience are being gobbled up by the finance houses and global vendors. To get the skills into the organisation, what you’ve got to do is grow them in-house.”
A Level 3 Data Essentials or Level 4 Data Analyst apprenticeship are ideal routes to developing a data professional – combining expert technical training with work-based data projects to put theory into action right away.
2. Increase Your Short-Term Data Capacity
Did you know that Data Analysts can spend over 60% of their time preparing and cleansing their data sets? If you already have a Data Analyst, hiring a Junior Analyst apprentice can take on this time-consuming data preparation.
This can free up your senior Analyst’s time for complex analysis, making strategic recommendations, and getting started on the data projects that have long been relegated to the “nice to have” list.
3. Invest in Your Long-Term Data Strategy
A Level 3 Data Essentials apprentice will hit the ground running with preparing and cleansing data sets, but by the end of their training programme, they will have developed a powerful skillset including data validation, statistical analysis, reporting, and communicating insights to a range of stakeholders.
Their journey doesn’t stop there – apprentices can progress onto a Level 4 Data Analyst programme, which deepens understanding and takes technical skills to the next level.
At Baltic Apprenticeships, 95% of our learners remain in employment after their training – creating a loyal and highly skilled workforce for your long-term business needs.
4. Turn a Spreadsheet Superstar into a Business Analyst
In almost every business, there’s one person with an almost mythical reputation for resolving Excel obstacles, formula fiascos, and pivot-table pitfalls. If you don’t yet have a data team, don’t panic – you have the makings of one with your spreadsheet superstar.
By developing your existing employees through a Data apprenticeship, you can introduce industry-standard skills and techniques for handing data into your organisation, whilst unlocking the potential of an under-utilised member of your team.
5. Keep on the Right Side of Data Protection Legislation
Wherever you are gathering, storing, and processing data, there is the risk of data breach and misuse. While every business must have a named and trained Data Protection Officer responsible for ensuring compliance with current legislation, it can also be beneficial to ensure those who are working with your data on a day-to-day basis have an up-to-date understanding of data protection.
Both our Level 3 Data Essentials and Level 4 Data Analyst qualifications include training in the legal, ethical, and regulatory frameworks for data handling. Learners are also encouraged to place data security at the heart of their activities, implementing the principles of privacy by design within their databases and analysis projects.
Start Growing Your Own Data Talent with Apprenticeships
Data Apprenticeships can be an amazing way to recruit, train and retain the data talent you need in your business. An apprenticeship programme gives you the industry-standard curriculum, expert training, and personal support you need to turn someone with a passion for data into a highly productive member of your data team.
To find out more about our Data programmes, or to discuss how apprenticeship training could work for you, please get in touch with our friendly team.
Further Reading: The Complete Guide to Employing an Apprentice