The UK’s statistics office has begun recruiting its first data analytics apprentices, following a critical review into the quality of economic data by the former Bank of England deputy governor Sir Charles Bean.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said it was recruiting six apprentices at its Newport headquarters in south Wales, where its new data science campus is based. The creation of the campus, which will launch in the autumn, comes after Bean’s recommendation to set up a data hub that would allow the ONS to work with academics and other outside experts.
Bean’s final report on government statistics, published in March, recommended “taking economic statistics back to the future”. It highlighted a failure to keep up with the digital revolution, with economic activity likely to have been underestimated and inflation overstated as a result.
Bean has been highly critical of the skills levels at the ONS following its move from London to Newport after 2007, when it lost many senior staff. He told a parliamentary committee in January that the nation’s number crunchers could do better, and in March described the office as having “a relatively large number of relatively low-skilled people, who are basically processing surveys”.
Andrew Tyrie, chair of the cross-party Treasury select committee, has also blasted the UK’s “rubbish” statistics and criticised the ONS for falling behind its international peers.
The apprenticeship scheme is aimed at people with relevant A-levels or equivalent experience and will lead to an accredited level 4 diploma. Apprentices will be paid between £21,500 and £26,999, and their role will be to “collect, organise and study data to provide business insight”. The closing date for applications is 21 August and apprentices are expected to start work in November for two years.
Heather Savory, the ONS’s deputy national statistician for data capability, said: “ONS is looking for the best people to take full advantage of cutting-edge tools and technologies and to help ONS make the most of the data revolution. Our role here at ONS is to provide high quality, trustworthy and relevant analytical evidence about our economy and society to help people make informed decisions.”
The ONS employs 1,724 people in Newport, where it has had an office since the 1960s. It also has 53 staff in London; 665 in Titchfield, Hampshire, where the census is compiled every 10 years; and 664 in the field.
