How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- a graduate training scheme
University
You'll usually need a degree or postgraduate degree in:
- statistics
- mathematics
- economics
- operational research
- psychology
You may be able to apply for jobs if you have a degree in a subject that included statistics as part of your course, for example social science or geography.
Courses that give you the chance to spend a year in industry or get work experience through placements, internships or real business projects may give you an advantage when you are looking for graduate jobs.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 2 or 3 A levels, or equivalent, including maths
- a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study
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College
You may be able to start by doing a T level in Digital Business Services. This could give you some of the skills you need to apply for a trainee position with a company.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level
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Apprenticeship
You could start in a junior data analysis role through a data technician advanced apprenticeship.
You could go on to complete a data analysis higher apprenticeship or data scientist degree apprenticeship.
If you want to work in health data analysis you could do a medical statistician degree apprenticeship.
Entry requirements
To get onto an apprenticeship, you'll find it useful to have:
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
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Volunteering
You can develop your professional skills and gain real work experience by helping community organisations and charities. For example, with the Royal Statistical Society.
Other Routes
You can apply to join the Government Statistical Service (GSS) as a trainee through the Civil Service Fast Stream programme. You'll need a good degree or postgraduate qualification.
The GSS also directly recruits graduates and people with relevant experience into positions like statistical officer.
Real career story
You can learn about Tamish’s career journey on the Analysis Function website.
Maths degree and first job
“I graduated from university with a degree in maths and got a summer job straightaway working as a tax associate for an accounting firm. This then became a full time role. After almost 3 years, I felt I needed a new challenge that would build on the analytical skills from my degree.”
Finance analyst
“At this point, there was an organisation restructure which forced me to change jobs. I joined a food manufacturing company in their finance team as an analyst. During this time, I also looked into training routes to become a qualified data analyst.”
Data analyst apprenticeship
“I applied for a Data Analyst Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship to bridge the gap between my degree in maths and my interest in data analysis.”
Data analyst
“I completed the apprenticeship and continued my role as a data analyst. I have had lots of opportunities to experience different topic areas and engage with several different stakeholders across government.”
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Further information
You can find out more on careers in statistics from the Royal Statistical Society.