The Data Analyst Apprenticeship
(Level 4).
Turn an employee who already works with data into a confident, qualified analyst, without taking them out of the business. A levy-funded Level 4 Data Analyst apprenticeship (ST0118) covering SQL, Excel, Power BI, Python, statistics and data governance, delivered live online with a dedicated skills coach. No degree needed. No prior coding required.
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A provider your team can trust with their data.
We are an Ofsted Good apprenticeship provider with a track record employers and learners rate highly. The numbers below are about the provider and the funding, not invented pass rates.
as an apprenticeship provider
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zero cost to the apprentice
on hand between sessions
A specialist in data and AI, not a generalist doing a bit of everything.
Plenty of large providers run a data apprenticeship alongside dozens of unrelated standards. We have built our delivery around data and AI, so the coaching, the tooling and the AI tutor are all pointed at making better analysts.
A specialist data and AI provider
Our skills coaches work in data and AI day in, day out, and every learner gets the Coachy AI tutor on hand 24/7. The curriculum is weighted to the SQL, Power BI and Python stack your organisation actually runs, so practice transfers straight to the job.
A generalist provider
A large generalist may cover data as one standard among many, with coaches spread thin across unrelated subjects and a curriculum that is the same for everyone. It can work, but the depth and the day-one relevance are harder to guarantee.
Weighing us up against a bigger name? See our honest, side-by-side comparisons: TESS vs QA, TESS vs Multiverse and TESS vs BPP.
The 10 data analyst modules.
A structured curriculum mapped to the ST0118 Data Analyst Level 4 knowledge, skills and behaviours. Learners build each skill on live workshops, then evidence it on real work from their own organisation, ready for the independent End-Point Assessment. Every module is built from first principles, so people who have only ever used spreadsheets can keep pace.
The Data Lifecycle & Problem Definition
Understand every stage of the data analysis lifecycle and learn to turn a vague business question into a clear, answerable analytical brief with defined requirements and success measures.
You will be able to: scope a messy business request into a defined analytical brief with clear success measures before touching the data.
SQL & Relational Databases
Query relational databases with confidence. Learn database structure, joins, filtering and aggregation in SQL so you can pull exactly the data you need, straight from the source.
You will be able to: pull a clean dataset straight from a live database in SQL, without waiting on IT to run it for you.
Data Collection, Cleaning & Wrangling
Deal with the messy reality of real data: missing values, duplicates, structured and unstructured sources. Learn to spot quality risks and prepare a clean, reliable dataset for analysis.
You will be able to: take a raw, messy export and turn it into a reliable, analysis-ready dataset you can actually trust.
Excel & Spreadsheets to Analyst Level
Push Excel well past the basics: lookups, pivot tables, conditional logic and modelling. The everyday analyst tool used properly, with an eye on where a spreadsheet stops being the right choice.
You will be able to: build a working model in Excel with pivot tables and lookups, and know when a spreadsheet is no longer the right tool.
Data Visualisation & Power BI
Build clear, interactive dashboards in Power BI. Learn chart selection, data modelling and design principles so your reporting actually drives decisions rather than gathering dust.
You will be able to: ship an interactive Power BI dashboard your team actually uses to make decisions.
Statistics & Analytical Methods
The statistics behind good analysis: distributions, correlation, trends, sampling and significance, so your conclusions hold up to scrutiny and you know when a pattern is real.
You will be able to: tell whether a pattern in the numbers is real or just noise, and back a conclusion with the right statistical test.
Python for Data Analysis
Move beyond the spreadsheet with Python. Use pandas to clean, join and analyse larger datasets, and learn to automate the repetitive analysis you do again and again.
You will be able to: write Python with pandas to clean and analyse a dataset too big for a spreadsheet, and automate a report you run every week.
Data Governance, Ethics & UK GDPR
Work with data safely and lawfully: UK GDPR, lawful basis, information security standards, Privacy by Design and the ethical questions every analyst has to answer.
You will be able to: handle personal data in your analysis in a way that is defensible under UK GDPR.
Communicating Insight & Storytelling with Data
Turn analysis into a story stakeholders act on. Learn to present findings clearly to technical and non-technical audiences, with the right visual for the right message.
You will be able to: present a finding so clearly that a non-technical stakeholder acts on it in the meeting.
Applied Analysis: The Workplace Project
Pull it all together on a real analytical project from your own organisation. Scope it, deliver it and present it, building the portfolio evidence you take into the End-Point Assessment.
You will be able to: deliver a real analysis that solves a genuine problem in your own organisation, as portfolio evidence for End-Point Assessment.
Cohorts weight the toolkit towards the stack your organisation actually runs, so learners practise on tools and data they will use the next day. SQL, Excel, Power BI and Python throughout.
Live online, coached, around the job.
No day-release, no campus. Learners stay in role and apply every module to real work, supported by a named skills coach and a 24/7 AI tutor, all the way to the End-Point Assessment.
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1Month 0
Onboarding & skills scan
We benchmark each learner's current data skills, confirm a realistic training plan, set up the OneFile portfolio and Coachy AI tutor, and agree the workplace data they will practise on.
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2Live online workshops
Live online workshops
Regular tutor-led sessions delivered via Microsoft Teams or Zoom work through the curriculum, SQL, Excel, Power BI, Python, statistics and governance, with hands-on practice on real datasets.
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3Throughout · on the job
Dedicated skills coach & Coachy AI tutor
A named skills coach reviews progress and portfolio evidence at regular reviews. Between sessions, the Coachy AI tutor is on hand 24/7 to unblock a stuck query or explain a concept again.
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4Gateway
Gateway & portfolio
Learner and employer confirm readiness. The portfolio of real workplace analysis and the project are finalised and signed off, ready for the independent assessment.
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5End-Point Assessment
End-Point Assessment
An independent assessor grades the apprenticeship against the ST0118 standard, typically through a project report, presentation and professional discussion. Graded Pass or Distinction.
Next intake: cohorts start regularly through the year
Tell us your timeline and we will slot your team into the next suitable intake. From enquiry to first learner is typically 2 to 4 weeks, once funding and the skills scan are in place.
The qualification, the toolkit and the portfolio.
The headline outcome is a nationally recognised Level 4 apprenticeship. Just as valuable is the working toolkit and the portfolio of real analysis a learner can show any future employer.
Level 4 Data Analyst apprenticeship
A working analyst toolkit
A portfolio of real work
- The apprentice pays nothing. There is zero cost to the learner at any point.
- 100% levy-funded for levy payers. If your organisation pays the Apprenticeship Levy, the training is drawn straight from your levy pot, up to the funding band.
- 95% government-funded for SMEs. Employers that do not pay the levy contribute just 5% under co-investment, with government funding the remaining 95%.
- Roughly 6 hours a week of protected off-the-job learning. Apprentices spend this time developing new skills within their working hours, kept separate from their normal day-to-day duties.
Already handling data? Do it properly.
The strongest apprentices are usually people who already touch data in their day job and want to move from spreadsheets and gut feel to proper, defensible analysis. There is no degree requirement and no coding prerequisite to start.
People already reporting on numbers
Career-changers moving into analysis
Entry: no degree required and no prior coding. What matters is logical thinking, curiosity about data, and a role where the learner can practise on real data. We confirm the right starting point on the first call.
A first step, not the last one.
The Level 4 Data Analyst apprenticeship maps onto real analyst roles and opens a clear path onward. For the individual it is career progression; for the employer it is a home-grown talent pipeline you can keep building.
Roles it supports
The standard is built for the everyday analyst jobs organisations actually hire for, so learners finish ready to step into or step up within a data role.
The natural next step
Once someone can query, model and visualise data with confidence, the obvious progression is deeper technical work in machine learning and AI, or a sideways move into applying AI across a business process.
For employers: use the apprenticeship as the first rung of a data and AI career ladder, growing your own analysts and giving your best people a reason to stay and progress rather than leave to move up.
Apprenticeship, bootcamp or degree?
A data bootcamp and a data degree both have their place. Here is where a Level 4 apprenticeship fits, so you can choose the right route rather than the loudest one.
| What matters | Data Analyst L4 apprenticeship (TESS) |
Data bootcamp |
Data degree |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to the learner | ✓ Zero, levy-funded | £s, self-funded | £££ tuition + debt |
| Learn while earning, in role | ✓ | Sometimes | ✕ |
| Nationally recognised standard | ✓ ST0118 | ✕ Provider cert | ✓ Degree |
| Portfolio of real workplace analysis | ✓ | Projects only | Academic |
| SQL, Excel, Power BI & Python | ✓ | ✓ | Varies |
| Dedicated coach + 24/7 AI tutor | ✓ | Cohort support | ✕ |
| Typical time to competence | ~24 months, in role | Weeks to months | 3+ years |
| No degree or coding needed to start | ✓ | ✓ | Entry requirements |
Want the detail for your team?
Get the full picture on the Level 4 Data Analyst apprenticeship: the ST0118 curriculum, SQL, Power BI and Python toolkit, delivery model, funding and next steps. Book a short call and we will tailor it to your organisation and the data your people actually work with.
Frequently asked questions.
Everything employers, L&D managers and prospective apprentices ask about the Data Analyst Level 4 apprenticeship.
What is a data analyst apprenticeship?
A data analyst apprenticeship is a work-based training programme that turns an employee into a confident data analyst while they stay in their job. It follows the Level 4 Data Analyst standard (ST0118) set by Skills England, so it is nationally recognised rather than an in-house course. Apprentices learn to collect, clean, analyse and visualise data using SQL, Excel, Power BI and Python, then evidence those skills on real work before an independent End-Point Assessment.
How long is the data analyst apprenticeship and what level is it?
It is a Level 4 apprenticeship, which sits at the same level as the first year of a degree. The Data Analyst standard (ST0118) has a typical training duration of around 24 months, followed by an End-Point Assessment period. Timelines flex with an apprentice's starting point and prior experience, and we confirm a realistic plan on the first call.
Is the data analyst apprenticeship levy-funded and what does it cost?
For the apprentice, the cost is zero. The Level 4 Data Analyst standard sits in a funding band of up to 15,000 pounds, which is covered in full by the Apprenticeship Levy for levy-paying employers. Employers that do not pay the levy contribute a small percentage under the government co-investment rules, with the rest funded by government. TESS handles the funding paperwork with you.
Do I need to know how to code to become a data analyst?
No prior coding is required to start. The programme builds SQL and Python from first principles, alongside Excel and Power BI, so learners who have only ever used spreadsheets can keep pace. What matters far more is logical thinking and curiosity about data. The Coachy AI tutor is available around the clock for every learner when something does not click.
What tools will I learn on the data analyst apprenticeship?
The core toolkit is SQL for querying databases, advanced Excel, Power BI for dashboards and visualisation, and Python for cleaning and analysing larger datasets. Around those tools you learn the statistics behind good analysis, the stages of the data analysis lifecycle, and data governance, including working within GDPR and Privacy by Design. Cohorts weight the toolkit towards the stack your organisation actually runs.
What is the difference between this and the AI and Automation apprenticeship?
The Data Analyst Level 4 (ST0118) develops a specialist who queries, models and visualises data with SQL, Power BI and Python. The AI and Automation Practitioner Level 4 (ST1512) is a non-coding standard for people who build AI agents and automations with no-code tools. Choose the data analyst apprenticeship to build deep analytical and coding skill; choose AI and Automation to apply AI across a business process without writing code.
What qualifications and outcome do I get?
On completion you achieve the Level 4 Data Analyst apprenticeship, graded Pass or Distinction at an independent End-Point Assessment against the ST0118 standard. Along the way apprentices build a portfolio of real analysis from their own workplace, which is often more persuasive to employers than the certificate alone. The apprenticeship maps directly onto data analyst, BI analyst and reporting analyst roles.
Who is the data analyst apprenticeship for?
It suits new and existing employees who work with data and want to do it properly: people in finance, operations, marketing, HR or any team that reports on numbers, as well as career-changers moving into a first analyst role. Employers use it to grow their own analysts rather than compete for scarce hires, and to raise data literacy across a department.
Standard reference: Data Analyst Level 4 (ST0118), Skills England. Duration and funding figures are indicative; confirm current details on the official standard page. Last reviewed 4 July 2026.
Build your data capability from within.
Levy-funded through the Apprenticeship Levy, or government co-investment for SMEs. Give someone who already works with data the SQL, Power BI and Python skills, the nationally recognised qualification, and a portfolio of real analysis.
- 25-minute call with TESS, we'll cover funding, cohort options and the right starting point
- No obligation, no hard sell, response within 1 working day
- Live online delivery, dedicated skills coach, Coachy AI tutor included
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