Data Technician Apprenticeship Level 3
Data Technician Apprenticeship Level 3 Overview
The Level 3 Data Technician apprenticeship is a practical, high-impact way for your business to develop essential data skills in-house. The focus of the programme includes mastering the core competencies of sourcing, cleaning, formatting, and securely presenting data ready for analysis. They’ll gain proficiency in key tools including advanced Excel, Power BI (or equivalent visualisation software), SQL for database querying, and foundational statistics while embedding best practices in data quality, legal compliance, and ethics.
This programme is perfect for Data Technician, Junior Data Analyst, Data Support Analyst, or Junior Information Analyst, enabling them to support smarter, evidence-based decision-making across any sector.
Details Of The Programme
- Data Fundamentals and Regulatory Compliance
- Introduction to Excel for Data Technicians
- Data Cleaning and Quality Assurance
- Power Query for Data Transformation
- SQL for Data Querying and Extraction
- Data Analysis and Basic Statistics
- Data Visualisation with Power BI
- Secure Data Handling and Presentation
- Blending and Formatting Data for Analysis
Maths, English and Functional Skills within the Apprenticeship
All apprentices have the opportunity to develop their English and maths skills as part of their apprenticeship and will need to develop sufficient skills to demonstrate competence in their chosen apprenticeship standard. A 16-18-year-old must complete functional skills qualifications if they do not already hold any qualifications. An individual aged 19 or over who does not hold existing qualifications should, with their employer, decide whether to pursue functional skills; however, these are not mandatory for programme completion.
The End Point Assessment Process
Scenario Demonstrations with Questioning
The apprentice completes two practical scenarios (total 90 minutes, often 45 minutes each plus questioning). One focuses on data gathering operations (e.g., accessing, blending, formatting, and extracting data from multiple sources), and the other on data analysis and validation (e.g., applying basic statistics, cleaning data, identifying trends, and auditing results). An independent assessor observes and asks questions to probe understanding.
Professional Discussion underpinned by a Portfolio
A 60-minute structured conversation between the apprentice and the independent assessor. It explores the apprentice’s portfolio of evidence (compiled throughout the apprenticeship, typically 8+ pieces mapped to knowledge, skills, and behaviours), allowing the apprentice to explain how they’ve applied what they’ve learned in real work contexts, including data handling, tools (e.g., Excel, Power BI, SQL), ethics, security, and professional behaviours.
Grades for each method are Fail, Pass, or Distinction. The overall apprenticeship grade is:
Fail (if any method fails)
Pass
Merit
Distinction
All methods must be passed to achieve the apprenticeship and receive the nationally recognised Level 3 certificate. The EPA is delivered by an approved independent End-Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO), ensuring impartiality and alignment with industry standards.