The Data Technician Apprenticeship
(Level 3).
Turn admin, operations or support staff into confident, qualified data technicians, without taking them out of the business. A levy-funded Level 3 Data Technician apprenticeship (ST0795) covering Excel, SQL, Power BI and AI tools, delivered live online with a dedicated skills coach. No experience needed. Every skill is built from first principles.
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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 building real data skills.
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 Excel, SQL and Power BI 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, TESS vs BPP, TESS vs Corndel and TESS vs Cambridge Spark.
The 8 data technician modules.
A structured 12-month curriculum mapped to the ST0795 Data Technician Level 3 knowledge, skills and behaviours, moving through four phases: foundations, core skills, visualisation and insight, then integration and EPA preparation. Learners build each skill on live workshops, then evidence it on real work from their own organisation. Every module is built from first principles, so complete beginners keep pace.
Data Principles & Sources
Types, sources and structures of data, and how organisations actually hold it. UK GDPR, data ethics and AI awareness, plus how to securely access and extract data from organisational systems.
You will be able to: find, extract and handle organisational data securely and lawfully, and explain where it comes from.
Excel & Spreadsheet Mastery
From fundamentals to advanced formulas: pivot tables, VLOOKUP and XLOOKUP, conditional formatting and automated reporting dashboards. The everyday tool, used properly.
You will be able to: build an automated Excel report with pivot tables and lookups that replaces hours of manual copy-and-paste.
SQL & Database Management
Relational databases from first principles: SELECT queries, JOINs, subqueries and aggregations. Combining data from multiple sources and anonymising it correctly.
You will be able to: pull exactly the data you need straight from a database in SQL, without waiting on IT to run it for you.
Data Quality & Validation
Identify and fix duplicates, missing values and outliers. Validation methods, corrective actions, and prompt engineering to speed up data transformation.
You will be able to: take a messy export and turn it into a clean, reliable dataset the business can actually trust.
Power BI & Data Visualisation
Build interactive dashboards, master DAX fundamentals, choose the right chart for the message and design visuals tailored to different audiences.
You will be able to: ship an interactive Power BI dashboard your team actually uses to make decisions.
Data Communication & Storytelling
Turn data into decisions: written reports, verbal presentations, stakeholder collaboration and data storytelling for technical and non-technical audiences.
You will be able to: present a finding so clearly that a non-technical stakeholder acts on it in the meeting.
Capstone Integration Project
An end-to-end workplace project: identify a business question, collect and clean the data, analyse it, visualise it in Power BI and present the findings.
You will be able to: deliver a real piece of data work that solves a genuine problem in your own organisation, as portfolio evidence.
Professional Practice & EPA Preparation
Portfolio compilation, KSB gap analysis, mock scenario demonstrations and professional discussion rehearsals. Full readiness for the independent End-Point Assessment.
You will be able to: walk into the End-Point Assessment with a complete portfolio and confident, rehearsed answers.
Cohorts practise on the systems your organisation actually runs, so new skills transfer straight to the day job. Excel, SQL, Power BI and AI tools throughout.
More than an apprenticeship. A stack of recognised qualifications.
Every Data Technician finishes with the nationally recognised Level 3 standard, plus portable, industry-recognised credentials, all bundled and levy-funded inside the £13,000 band.
Data Technician apprenticeship
Certificate in Data
AI Prompt Engineering
Power BI credential
Cyber Security Practices
That is one apprenticeship and up to four extra credentials, at no extra cost. Most providers give you one.
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 starting point (complete beginners welcome), 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, Excel, SQL, Power BI, data quality and communication, 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 data tasks and the capstone project are finalised and signed off, ready for the independent assessment.
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5End-Point Assessment
End-Point Assessment
An independent assessor assesses the apprenticeship against the ST0795 standard, typically through scenario demonstrations and a professional discussion drawing on the portfolio of real work.
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 toolkit and the portfolio.
The credential stack is what they earn. Just as valuable is the working toolkit and the portfolio of real analysis a learner can show any future employer.
A working data 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 live in spreadsheets, admin, operations, finance or customer service, and want to turn that everyday work into a recognised data skillset. There is no experience requirement and no coding prerequisite to start.
People already reporting on numbers
Career-changers moving into analysis
Entry: no experience 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 3 Data Technician apprenticeship maps onto the data roles organisations actually staff, 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 data 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 collect, clean and visualise data with confidence, the obvious progression is the Level 3 Data Technician apprenticeship, deeper analysis, statistics and Python, or a step into leading with data.
For employers: use the apprenticeship as the first rung of a data and AI career ladder, growing your own data talent 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 3 apprenticeship fits, so you can choose the right route rather than the loudest one.
| What matters | Data Technician L3 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 | ✓ ST0795 | ✕ Provider cert | ✓ Degree |
| Portfolio of real workplace analysis | ✓ | Projects only | Academic |
| Excel, SQL, Power BI & AI tools | ✓ | ✓ | Varies |
| Dedicated coach + 24/7 AI tutor | ✓ | Cohort support | ✕ |
| Typical time to competence | ~12 months, in role | Weeks to months | 3+ years |
| No experience or coding needed to start | ✓ | ✓ | Entry requirements |
Want the detail for your team?
Get the full picture on the Level 3 Data Technician apprenticeship: the ST0795 curriculum, the Excel, SQL and Power BI 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 Technician Level 3 apprenticeship.
What is a data technician apprenticeship?
A data technician apprenticeship is a work-based training programme that turns an employee into a confident data professional while they stay in their job. It follows the Level 3 Data Technician standard (ST0795) set by Skills England, so it is nationally recognised rather than an in-house course. Apprentices learn to source, clean, analyse and present data using Excel, SQL, Power BI and AI tools, then evidence those skills on real work before an independent End-Point Assessment.
How long is the data technician apprenticeship and what level is it?
It is a Level 3 apprenticeship, equivalent to A-level standard, and the typical training duration is 12 months followed by the End-Point Assessment period. The curriculum runs as 8 modules across four phases: foundations, core skills, visualisation and insight, and integration with EPA preparation. Timelines flex with the apprentice's starting point, and we confirm a realistic plan on the first call.
Is it levy-funded and what does it cost?
For the apprentice, the cost is zero. The Data Technician standard sits in a funding band of up to 13,000 pounds, covered in full by the Apprenticeship Levy for levy-paying employers. Employers that do not pay the levy contribute 5% under government co-investment, around 650 pounds, with government funding the rest. TESS handles the funding paperwork with you.
Do I need any data experience or coding to start?
No. The programme is designed to take complete beginners to professional-level data skills: admin staff moving into data, career-changers, graduates and junior analysts formalising what they already do. Excel and SQL are built from first principles, and the Coachy AI tutor is on hand 24/7 between sessions when something does not click.
What tools will I learn?
The core toolkit is Excel to an advanced level, SQL for querying databases, Power BI for dashboards and visualisation, and AI tools, including prompt engineering for data transformation, woven through the programme from day one. Around the tools you learn data quality, UK GDPR and data ethics, and how to communicate findings to technical and non-technical audiences.
What is the difference between this and the Data-Driven Team Leader?
Both are built on the same ST0795 Data Technician standard. This programme is the pure data route, focused entirely on the technical skillset. The Data-Driven Team Leader adds CMI leadership content, performance management and team development on top. Choose based on the career goal: data specialist or data-confident team leader.
What comes after Level 3?
The natural next step is our Level 4 Data Analyst apprenticeship, which goes deeper into statistics, storytelling and Python on top of the SQL and Power BI foundation. That gives your organisation a clear career ladder from data technician to analyst to senior data roles, all levy-funded.
How is the programme delivered?
Live online, nationwide. Regular tutor-led workshops via Teams or Zoom, a named skills coach reviewing progress and portfolio evidence, and the Coachy AI tutor available 24/7 between sessions. Learners stay in role throughout and apply every module to real work, with roughly 6 hours a week of protected off-the-job learning time.
Standard reference: Data Technician Level 3 (ST0795), Skills England. Duration and funding figures are indicative; confirm current details on the official standard page. Last reviewed 25 July 2026.
Ready to grow your own data technician?
Book a 25-min call →Build your data capability from within.
Levy-funded through the Apprenticeship Levy, or government co-investment for SMEs. Give someone who already works around data the Excel, SQL and Power BI skills, the nationally recognised qualification, and a portfolio of real data work.
- 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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