QA and Ministry of Justice celebrate data apprenticeship success

QA Ltd and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) recently came together to celebrate the success of their Data Analyst Level 4 apprenticeship programme. This programme was designed to develop highly skilled analytics engineers capable of transforming complex data into meaningful insights that improve public services.

Following close collaboration to map apprenticeship standards with the MoJ's needs, the programme officially launched in 2024. It attracted more than 1,100 applications for just 10 places, highlighting strong demand for digital and data careers across government.

Over the past two years, the programme has helped strengthen capability across the MoJ and create new routes into data careers. Apprentices have contributed to projects supporting services across prisons, probation, and courts, helping improve access to reliable data and better-informed decision-making.

Apprentices joined from a range of backgrounds, including retail, customer service, and the charity sector, while others chose apprenticeships instead of university to gain hands-on experience working on live projects.

The value of apprenticeships in building future data talent

The celebration highlighted the important role apprenticeships play in developing future talent, widening participation, and building a sustainable pipeline of data professionals.

Throughout their apprenticeship, learners balanced full-time roles with structured learning, developing skills in analytics engineering, data modelling, and stakeholder engagement.

Among those recognised were Brian Seery, who moved into data following a 12-year career in outdoor retail and was named Apprentice of the Year at the QA Excellence Awards, and Pete McGinty, who successfully retrained from customer service into analytics engineering while supporting his family through paid employment.

Looking ahead, the Ministry of Justice plans to welcome around 80 new apprenticeship starters as part of its wider digital skills strategy, reinforcing apprenticeships as a key route for developing future digital capability across government.

Industry perspectives

Jo Bishenden, Chief Learning Officer at QA, said:

“This programme shows what can be achieved when employers and learning providers work together to develop future talent. Our partnership with the Ministry of Justice has equipped apprentices with the technical expertise, confidence and professional skills to make an immediate impact, while opening doors for people from a wide range of backgrounds.

Congratulations to every apprentice on this fantastic achievement. They should be incredibly proud of what they've accomplished, and we're excited to see where their careers take them next.”

Phil Hall, Head of Analytics Engineering at the Ministry of Justice, said:

“This programme has helped us strengthen our analytics engineering profession within the Ministry of Justice by developing a talented group of people who are already making a contribution to the organisation. Alongside their day-to-day roles, they've shown a real commitment to building the technical and professional skills that will help us continue to grow our data and analytics capability.

As data becomes increasingly important across government, this programme has shown the value of apprenticeships as a way to ensure we have people with the skills we'll need in the future. We're incredibly proud of what this group has achieved and grateful to QA for working with us to deliver the programme. We look forward to building on this success as we continue developing the talented people who will help shape the future of data and analytics across the Ministry of Justice.”

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