The Level 3 Data Citizen Apprenticeship

One Data Apprentice Can Create Real Business Impact

98% reduction in report production time

£39,000 annually saved on reporting costs

416 hours of FTE time saved by automating reporting

77% increase on KPI through access to real-time reporting

Build the data fluency of your workforce

Over the duration of the 13-month programme, Cambridge Spark's Level 3 Data Citizen Apprenticeship equips employees with a data-driven mindset and essential analysis skills for their daily work. Participants gain practical experience in data cleaning, statistical querying, visual storytelling, and dashboarding using real-world datasets.

To align seamlessly with your organisation's technology stack, the curriculum offers dedicated Microsoft Pathway (Excel & Power BI) and Google Pathway (Google Sheets & Data Studio) options, as well as a bespoke NHS pathway tailored specifically for healthcare professionals.

Eligibility

Designed for professionals from diverse backgrounds, including those in non-technical roles, who want to enhance their data literacy and effectively use data in their work. Employees must meet the following criteria:

Suitability of role

Regularly using spreadsheets in their work
Often using spreadsheets or other sources to provide insight to colleagues
Manually creating reports with tools such as Excel or Sheets
Looking to use data to increase their productivity

Eligibility for funding

No prior equivalent data training or related experience.
Employed in England and resident in the UK or EEA for the last 3 years.
Option to opt in / out of Functional Skills (for 19+ years of age), depending on prior attainment of Level 2 / GCSE English and Maths (or equivalent) at grade C or above.
Can commit to the minimum planned weekly hours off the job learning - required for the duration of the programme.

What makes the programme special

We deliver all of our programmes online, helping our clients offer flexible and inclusive programmes open to all of their staff. EDUKATE.AI, our online learning platform, gives learners a sandbox environment to practice their skills, providing them with immediate feedback on industry-simulated assignments. We believe that the gold standard for online delivery is to offer a mix of experiential learning, coaching, technical mentorship and peer support.

Real-World Practice for Accelerated Impact

EDUKATE.AI provides a sandbox environment where learners can practice new skills on real assignments. This accelerates the impact that learners can make in their workplace, allowing them to immediately apply what they've learned.

EDUKATE.AI

Our online learning platform offers apprentices a seamless learning experience with in-browser access to their slides, lecture recordings, quizzes and practical assignments. Immediate feedback enables apprentices to gauge their progress effectively.

Unique contextualisation

Collaborating with industry-leading partners, the L3 Data Citizen offers contextualised options catered to journalists, NHS professionals, and HR professionals, empowering them with the essential data literacy skills needed for success in their respective roles.

Personalised Learner Support

We provide each learner with a dedicated Data Mentor and Learner Success Coach to support them on their technical and personal development. This personalised support structure helps learners to succeed and overcome obstacles they encounter.

Flexible Fully Online Learning

Our programme is fully online, providing maximum flexibility for learners and employers alike. This means that learners can access their content from anywhere, with no set-up or installation of EDUKATE.AI required.

Expert Curriculum

Our comprehensive curriculum develops the skills to succeed in a data-driven organisation. In addition to teaching concepts such as the value of data and storytelling with data, learners will become proficient with dashboarding tools such as Power BI or Data Studio.

Community

Become part of a thriving community of thousands of data professionals. Tap into this rich network of peers and alumni and benefit from the expertise and experience of others in the field.

The Curriculum

Our data literacy curriculum is developed by our leading faculty, composed of data scientists in leading industry positions and academics from some of the top universities in the world. Our curriculum is continuously updated and reiterated to incorporate the latest skills. For employees working in the NHS or in roles in journalism, we offer contextualised versions of the curriculum designed to maximise success at work.

Core Modules

The Value of Data

The value of data to organisations
Data types and storage formats
The data lifecycle
The importance of social inclusion in data
AI fundamentals and the role of data in AI

Introduction to Data Manipulation

Common sources of data, including internal systems, external providers, public datasets and open data
Accessing and extracting data from identified sources
Integers, floating-point numbers, scientific notation, date strings
Data precision, analysis, and communication

Numbers in Excel/Sheets

Calculating averages, standard deviations, word counts, common values, and percentage differences.
Identifying trends, patterns, and key insights within a dataset
Summarising, analysing, and explaining data findings to support decision-making

Data Preparation, Quality, and Validation

Identifying data faults, including spotting duplicates, misclassifications, spelling errors, gaps, and obsolete data
Validating data and verifying information sources
Auditing combined datasets to ensure accuracy
Parsing data into standard formats

Data Analysis

Row counts, averages, standard deviations, word counts, common values and percentage differences
Extracting meaningful insights from structured and unstructured data
Capabilities of analysis, visualisation, and querying tools
Tools to manage, present and visualise data

Charts and Data Visualisation

Managing, presenting, and visualising data
Communication tools and technologies for collaborative working
Spreadsheets, charts, dashboards, and bespoke visualisations
How storage types and data element formats impact analysis

Advanced Excel/Sheets

Utilising query and transformation tools to clean, manipulate, and reformat datasets
Pivot tables and pivot charts
Using Power Query (Microsoft) or Connected Sheets/BigQuery (Google) to connect and combine data sources and automate tasks

Storytelling, Reporting, and Actioning Insights

Utilising written, verbal, non-verbal, and narrative methods to convey data findings effectively
Adapting communication styles, formats, and levels of detail for technical vs. non-technical audiences, managers, and peers
The importance of cultural awareness, diversity, and accessibility standards when presenting data

Dashboarding Tools - Power BI/Data Studio

Format charts & dashboards to effectively communicate data analysis
Incorporating interactivity to improve communication and aid audience understanding
Structuring visual dashboards for shared review, enabling teams to analyse data collaboratively

Data Storage, Compliance, and Security

Storing, managing, and distributing data in compliance with organisational, national, and sector-specific standards
GDPR, the Data Protection Act, intellectual property rights, EU AI Act
Ethical considerations around data use, including in AI and automated systems

Introduction to Coding

Understanding what Python is, its core capabilities, and its primary applications in data analysis
Identifying specific use cases for coding and automation within your team and business function
Fundamental coding concepts and running basic Python scripts

FAQs

What delivery options do you offer?

We tailor our delivery to your workforce's needs. This ranges from independent, immersive e-learning supported by EDUKATE.AI through to tailored bootcamps, to our structured apprenticeship programmes.

Are you able to tailor the programme to the organisation and sector?

Yes. We work with our clients to contextualise our programmes to their organisation and the sector(s) in which they operate. We do this through tailored hackathons, bespoke assignments and guest lectures from industry experts. We also work with a range of partners to create bespoke programmes for sectors, such as healthcare and journalism.

What is an apprenticeship?

An apprenticeship is a long-term training commitment which seeks to support people entering the workforce and upskill existing UK-based employees within an organisation, enabling employers to foster a workforce consisting of highly skilled and highly engaged talent.

What Is the Apprenticeship Levy?

The UK government introduced the Apprenticeship Levy scheme in April 2017 as a way to drive investment in strengthening the country’s skills base.

All organisations with annual staff costs of over £3m have to pay 0.5% of their salary bill into a ring-fenced apprenticeship levy pot. The money is collected monthly via PAYE and can only be used for training on approved apprenticeship schemes (such as the Level 3 Data Citizen Apprenticeship that we offer). Organisations must forfeit any levy funding left unspent for 12 months or more.

What if my organisation doesn't pay into the UK Apprenticeship Levy?

An organisation that doesn't pay into the levy can still qualify for government-funded apprenticeships for their staff. In fact, the UK government will sponsor 95% of the apprenticeship programme, leaving the organisation to invest the remaining 5%, provided that learners meet other eligibility criteria.

What does "off-the-job training" mean?

Off-the-job training is defined as learning undertaken outside of the day-to-day work duties and during the apprentice’s normal working hours.

Our off-the-job training is delivered on a flexible basis and can be carried out at the apprentice’s place of work or home.

The minimum weekly off-the-job training provides learners with the time to focus and develop the required skills, knowledge and behaviours to complete the programme.

How much do managers need to be involved?

Managers will need to ensure apprentices achieve their planned off-the-job training hours and work on their project portfolio.

We also encourage managers to have regular one-to-one meetings with apprentices to catch up on how they are progressing and to join the apprentice and their coach for 30 minutes every 3-4 months for a general catch-up about the programme.

For Individuals

Own the AI Workflow

For Organisations

AI for Leaders

About

Revolutionise Data & AI Upskilling with EDUKATE.AI

Resources

The Data & AI Mastery Podcast

Data Citizen Apprenticeship (Level 3)