Information for employers
Develop and retain data science talent within your organisation with our Data Scientist Degree Apprenticeship: a cost-effective way to develop data science knowledge and expertise to drive your organisation forward.
This apprenticeship is an ideal for those wanting to develop in Data Science, Informatics and Data Engineering roles, aspiring to be a specialist with a passion to analyse and use data to inform strategic and operational decision making. You may wish to create a new role within your organisation to attract fresh talent or develop your existing staff. The apprenticeship has been designed for employers who have a mentor to support and guide the apprentice in their study and career progression for the duration of the apprenticeship.
Degree apprenticeships are a smart investment. You can reinvest Apprenticeship Levy funds to cover the cost of the apprenticeship, or receive funding support from the government.
If you operate in England and your annual payroll is over £3 million, you pay a levy of 0.5% of your payroll into a levy account. The cost of the Data Scientist programme for levy paying employers is £19,000 and this can be covered in full using the non-refundable funds in your levy account. If you exhaust the funds in your levy account, then the government will pay 95% of the outstanding fees and you will need to pay the remaining 5%.
If your organisation is not required to pay the levy, you will pay only 5% of the cost of the apprenticeship programme while the government pays the remaining 95%. The cost of the Data Scientist programme for non-levy paying employers is just £950.
For more about the Apprenticeship Levy, and to find out about any additional incentive payments for hiring a new apprentice from the government, please visit the key information section on our Degree apprenticeships for employers page.
Our team of dedicated consultants can talk you through the detail.
“We depend on data science, whether training an algorithm to learners, or helping warehouse staff plan for peak demand. I’m excited to give our apprentices the best possible start to their careers.”
Nick Raikes
Assistant Director of Research, Cambridge University Press and Assessment
“Data Science is one of the most in-demand skillsets and organisations are using the Apprenticeship Levy to cost effectively develop their workforce.”
Raoul-Gabriel Urma
Founder, Cambridge Spark
The Data Scientist Degree Apprenticeship has been developed and is taught in partnership with Cambridge Spark, leaders in personalised AI driven training for data scientists, developers and software engineers.
This cutting-edge course has been developed and is taught in partnership with Cambridge Spark, leaders in personalised AI driven training in data science and software engineering. The course is a blend of immersive teaching weeks, online study and an online hackathon-style bootcamp, combining learning with sector specialists and practitioners.
At least 20% of apprentices contracted hours will be classed as ‘off the job’. This time will be dedicated to developing the knowledge and skills needed to meet the requirements of the apprenticeship, and therefore is not part of their usual work duties.
The off-the-job learning is delivered in a blended format combining teaching weeks on our Cambridge campus, together with online resources.
As an employer your business sets out the person specifications for the role, but the apprentice will need to meet our entry requirements to be accepted onto the course. You can view the full entry requirements on our apprentice course page.
Our team of dedicated consultants can talk you through the detail.
Our dedicated apprenticeship team is on hand to help you attract the best candidates for your organisation. We can help with:
Our consultants will also be happy to support you in determining the suitability of the candidates you receive.
If you'd like to know more about the apprenticeship, have a current employee in mind or are thinking of recruiting an apprentice for your business, our designated team of experts are here to support you at every step. Get in touch today.