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Apprenticeships – a great way to develop your career

I started my apprenticeship journey in 2018 and opted for the Level 4 Data Analytics. I enjoyed it so much I signed up to Level 6 at Cardiff Met in October 2020 and I am now working to towards a degree! Not something I would have thought possible when I joined Office for National Statistics […]

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Opportunities await with our Government Statistical Service Apprenticeships

As head of the Government Statistical Service (GSS), I am always looking for flexible ways to support the development of the statistics profession. I am extremely supportive of the GSS apprenticeship programmes, which offer an excellent way of diversifying skills and capability of staff and departments, whilst at the same time offering a route for […]

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My elevator pitch for taking on a Data Science Apprentice

Working as a data science degree apprentice over the last 2 years has been an incredibly rewarding experience. In a bid for managers to consider taking on a data science apprentice, I want to share my top four reasons why this is a great idea. Reason one The skills learned on the apprenticeship are more […]

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Ever fancied working abroad?

An opportunity of a lifetime has just been advertised, helping to build statistical and data science capabilities in outstandingly beautiful Rwanda. Rose Drummond, who will be stepping down at the end of her two-year contract this summer, tells us more about what her replacement can expect, living and working on behalf of the UK’s Office […]

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Why I stayed with the Civil Service as a statistical leader

I have been in the Civil Service as a statistician for 20 years, and each time the potential of a job in the private sector has reared its head, I have found a reason to stay. Why? Impact and public service During coronavirus (COVID-19), and earlier in my career during the summer riots and at […]

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My leadership journey as a statistician

I have been a statistician in government for over eight years and have had quite the journey.   My main takeaway? You will develop your skills most in those roles outside of your comfort zone (scary but true)!  My first role was in the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in data collection – coming from a maths background […]

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My secondment at the BBC during the General Election

I worked at BBC News at the end of 2019 and it was an incredible experience. There are a number of different ways you can contribute to their work and the experienced and talented Head of Statistics there is able to tailor your experience there so you can make the most of your time. For […]

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Lost in translation

Solving problems, better solutions. The Methodology Division within the Office for National Statistics (ONS) develop methods for working with non-survey data sources, and for integrating non-survey and survey data. Coding qualitative data is a huge part of the work Methodology does. Did you know that there are thousands of different coding languages including Python, R […]

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Remote testing in practice – what we learnt

In the Research and Design Team at the Office for National Statistics (ONS), we are transforming social surveys using a user-centred design approach. For us, this means that we work iteratively, designing with our users in mind. In social survey transformation, our end users are respondents to the voluntary social surveys at the ONS.  In […]

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My summer placement at BBC News

One thing I love about the Civil Service is the wide variety of professional development opportunities. I’ve enjoyed seeing different perspectives working as an analyst in the public, private and third sector – so I was really pleased to be lucky enough to be accepted on the BBC News Secondment Programme to learn more about […]

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