At the end of last year, my first-year Government Statistical Service (GSS) Fast Stream cohort headed to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) office in Newport for their induction day, organised by the GSS Careers team. This was a chance to get excited about our fast stream journey, explore what it means to join the […]
Learn more on Fast stream futures: a day in the life of a first year fast streamerThe UN’s International Day of Education (24 January) is a great time to showcase how crucial statistics are to the education sector. Many organisations across the UK contribute to the production of statistics which are trustworthy, high quality, and provide value to users on this topic. Bringing statistics producers together Producers in England, Wales, Scotland […]
Learn more on Championing children and education through statisticsKevin Rossiter blogs about his apprenticeship experience.
Learn more on Why I chose an apprenticeshipSince the 1970s the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and its predecessors have calculated local measures of relative deprivation in England. Deprivation is nuanced and multifaceted – people may be living in poverty if they lack the financial resources to meet their needs, whereas people may be regarded as deprived if they […]
Learn more on Unlocking and updating deprivation insights: the IoD2025Starting my data science degree apprenticeship was one of the most important decisions of my career. I had spent more than twenty years in technical roles, from IT engineering to software development, data engineering and data analysis. Although I had trained extensively, I had no formal qualification to show the depth of my knowledge. I […]
Learn more on From Self-Taught to Distinction: Barry’s Apprenticeship JourneyI was honoured to be invited as closing keynote at the UK Government Statistical Service (GSS) Conference in Manchester in November 2025. GSS Statisticians occupy a critically important space at the intersection of evidence, public trust and national decision-making. Statistics are being reshaped on an unprecedented scale by digital technologies, including AI-assisted modelling, automated quality […]
Learn more on The future of GSS is in the hands of humansIn the world of animal and plant health surveillance, tools that help users make sense of complex pathogen and genetic relationship data are essential for rapid disease detection and effective disease control. Recently, our team set out to transform how APHA staff and partners interact with genomic data by applying user-centred design (UCD) to two […]
Learn more on Putting users at the heart of designPresenting at the Government Statistical Service (GSS) Conference this year was a real privilege. It was a fantastic opportunity to share the progress we’ve been making in the Welsh Government to modernise our ways of working. I was also able to learn a lot from GSS colleagues about how they are innovating and improving. For […]
Learn more on The death of Excel? How our community delivered change at Welsh GovernmentIt’s been a year since the launch of the Government Statistical Service (GSS) Vision, and this year’s conference, Ahead of the curve: preparing for the future of statistics, centred one of the core themes: Innovation and Transformation. The day demonstrated the vision in action as we celebrated the work of over 20 speakers, demonstrating our […]
Learn more on A day of connection and collaboration at the GSS ConferenceThe need for norovirus statistics Every year in the UK, there are an estimated 3 million cases of norovirus, also known as the “winter vomiting bug”. While most people recover quickly, norovirus can cause severe disease in vulnerable groups. The public health burden of norovirus is considerable, causing ongoing disruption to health and social care, […]
Learn more on RAP in reality: automating the production of high-quality norovirus and rotavirus statistics