Data Science Graduate Programme
Table of contents
News
Updated on 02 July 2024
The Data Science Campus will not be running the Data Science Graduate programme for 2024/2025.
We recently celebrated with our graduates at a games day out at the Amazon AWS building in London
Overview
Our Data Science Graduate Programme offered a unique opportunity to develop sought-after data science skills. It was aimed at talented individuals with a passion for data and enabled individuals and organisations to build their skills and help shape the future of data science in the public sector.
For current candidates in the programme, there’s more information available in the Graduate Programme handbook, including a training sessions calendar, curriculum overview and IT requirements.
Information for candidates
Why choose the Data Science Graduate Programme?
The Data Science Graduate Programme was an exciting opportunity to get highly valuable work experience and develop your data science skills through a two-year learning pathway. It was completed while working at the heart of data science in the public sector and contributing towards projects with real-world impact.
What graduates did.
During the programme graduates:
- were trained in much-valued data science skills and techniques.
- undertook project-based learning, with the opportunity to practice your newly developed skills
- collaborated and networked across government and the public sector.
- received professional development support
- attended data science seminars and events, aligning their learning with the Data Science Competency Framework.
- built a secure foundation for an exciting and rewarding career in public sector data science, where graduates used their skills for the public good.
Testimonials from graduate data scientists
Hear from some of our graduate data scientists talking about their experiences as part of the Data Science Graduate Programme. We also have some case studies about our graduates’ experiences during the programme.
Programme structure
The first year of the programme consisted of monthly training modules. The usual time commitment for a training module was three full working days, which included attending online lectures and tutorials, working through independent learning and reading material. Between these learning sessions, graduates worked on projects in their home organisation, where they applied learning within a project context.
During the second year of the programme, graduates worked on specific projects that utilised their learning from the first year. They attended a series of seminars and events, such as hackathons, that encouraged the graduates data science skill development in line with the Data Science Competency Framework. The average time commitment for this stage was one day per month.
At the end of the programme, graduates have acquired new, highly sought-after data science skills, forming a secure foundation for a future career in public sector data science.
Curriculum overview
The Graduate Programme curriculum provides a robust and exciting framework of learning materials designed to consolidate existing analytical skills. Our experienced lecturers work closely with graduate data scientists to continuously review and improve the content of our curriculum, ensuring our training materials are engaging, relevant and effective.
The aim was to provide graduates with a range of tools and experience in applying them, ensuring that graduates can make impartial, pragmatic analysis, using the most appropriate software or technique in working towards the given success criteria.
A full outline of the training modules is available in the Data Science Graduate Programme curriculum page.
Eligibility
We look for candidates who have a passion to work in data science, and who have some programming ability in R, Python or another data analysis relevant language.
You must have, or be expected to get, at least one of the following:
- a 2:1 degree, or postgraduate qualification, in a discipline with numerical or statistical elements
- equivalent wider experience
Information for organisations
Note: Please read and review the Information for candidates section for details about the Graduate Programme structure, curriculum, what we look for in a potential graduate and to see testimonials from previous graduates.
The Graduate Programme is available for UK government and public sector organisations. If you are interested in bringing the Graduate Programme to your organisation, you will need to bid for places.
Bidding for places for existing staff in your organisation is free of charge.
The ONS does not charge for the delivery of the programme and ongoing support to all participants.
Cross-public sector recruitment campaign
If you have vacancies to be filled at HEO grade or similar, you can choose to join the cross-public sector recruitment campaign, led by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The benefits of this approach for your organisation are:
- you won’t need to lead a recruitment campaign for your vacancies
- you will have access to a much bigger pool of applicants
- you will be part of a programme to build data science skills in the public sector
- you will help to develop connections and grow the data science community
This joint recruitment campaign has been very successful in the past, attracting large numbers of high-calibre candidates. The administration for recruitment is handled by a centralised recruitment team and your organisation will only be asked to support sifting and interview panels.
Requirements for participation in the programme
Any organisation or department taking part in the Data Science Graduate Programme, will need to meet the IT capability requirements and have sufficient data science maturity to be able to support graduates as they progress through the curriculum.
Please contact the Graduate Programme team for details on these requirements and advice on how to select suitable staff to put forward for the programme.