Data apprenticeships for UK employers: Level 3, 4 and 5
The Level 3 Data Technician, the Level 4 Data Analyst with Microsoft PL-300 included, and the Level 5 Data Engineer in development for 2027. Live online across England, a named skills coach, Coachy AI tutor, and the published achievement rates of every competing provider on one page so you can compare before you commit levy.
TESS Group delivers data apprenticeships at Level 3 and Level 4 today, with Level 5 in development. The Level 3 Data Technician (ST0795 v1.1, £13,000 band, 12 months plus end-point assessment) covers Excel, SQL and Power BI for staff new to data, with the NCFE Level 3 Certificate in Data included. The Level 4 Data Analyst (ST0118 v1.1, £15,000 band, 18 months plus end-point assessment, 12-month option for closed cohorts) covers SQL, Power BI, Python and statistics with the Microsoft PL-300 certification included as standard. The Level 5 Data Engineer (ST1386, £19,000 band) is being built to the revised assessment plan for first closed cohorts in 2027, with end-point assessment by 1st for Awarding. TESS is rated Ofsted Good, holds a 4.9/5 rating from 791 reviews, and delivers live online across England.
Three levels, one data career ladder
Each standard is written by employers and funded through the Growth and Skills Levy. Pick the level that matches the job the apprentice actually does.
Data Technician
- Excel, SQL and Power BI from complete beginner
- Collecting, cleaning, combining and reporting data to a standard others can rely on
- NCFE Level 3 Certificate in Data and NCFE Level 3 AI Prompt Engineering included
- Named skills coach, Coachy AI tutor 24/7
Data Analyst
- SQL, Power BI, Python, statistics and data governance
- Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst (PL-300) certification included as standard
- AI-augmented analysis with Copilot; NCFE Data and Cyber Security Practices certificates
- Graded Fail, Pass, Merit or Distinction at independent end-point assessment
Data Engineer
- SQL and Python for production, data modelling, pipelines and orchestration
- Cloud data platforms on the Microsoft stack, with a Microsoft data engineering certification planned
- Built to the revised assessment plan that applies to starts from 18 December 2026
- First closed employer cohorts planned for 2027; 18 providers currently deliver this standard and none has a published achievement rate
The three standards side by side
Figures from Skills England and Find Apprenticeship Training, checked 15 October 2026. Delivery lengths are TESS's; Skills England lists a typical duration of 24 months for all three, and providers across the market deliver in 12 to 21 months.
| Level 3 Data Technician | Level 4 Data Analyst | Level 5 Data Engineer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | ST0795 v1.1 (from 20 August 2025) | ST0118 v1.1 | ST1386 v1.0; revised plan from 18 December 2026 |
| Funding band | £13,000 | £15,000 | £19,000 |
| TESS delivery | 12 months plus EPA | 18 months plus EPA; 12-month closed cohorts | 18 to 24 months plus EPA; first cohorts 2027 |
| End-point assessment | 3-month window; plan in revision | Project with presentation and questioning; professional discussion. Fail, Pass, Merit, Distinction | 4-month window; 6 EPAOs on the register |
| Certifications with TESS | NCFE Level 3 Certificate in Data; NCFE AI Prompt Engineering; optional Microsoft Power BI | Microsoft PL-300 included; NCFE Data; NCFE Cyber Security Practices | Microsoft data engineering certification planned |
| Providers on gov.uk | 113 | 130 | 18 |
Every provider's published achievement rate, in one place
Gov.uk publishes a 2024/25 achievement rate for each provider on each standard once it has enough completions. We have compiled every published rate for the two data standards, with cohort size and the 2025/26 employer and apprentice review bands, so you can compare providers on evidence rather than adjectives. TESS is shown where it sits today: too new on these standards for a published rate, with Good review bands from employers and apprentices.
Data read from Find Apprenticeship Training on 15 October 2026. Providers with no published rate are not listed. Achievement rate is the share of apprentices who completed and passed; "out of" is the cohort the rate is calculated on.
Level 4 Data Analyst (ST0118): 23 providers with a published rate, of 130 listed
| # | Provider | Achievement rate 2024/25 | Apprentices in cohort | Employer reviews 2025/26 | Apprentice reviews 2025/26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Babington | 89.7% | 40 | Good (136) | Good (130) |
| 2 | Exeter and North Devon Colleges Group | 89.5% | 20 | Excellent (97) | Good (37) |
| 3 | The Apprentice Academy | 87.5% | 20 | Excellent (78) | Excellent (43) |
| 4 | Digital Native | 85.7% | 10 | Excellent (15) | Excellent (22) |
| 5 | New College Durham | 83.3% | 10 | Good (42) | Good (9) |
| 6 | Baltic Apprenticeships | 79.4% | 100 | Excellent (97) | Excellent (42) |
| 7 | Firebrand | 79.0% | 110 | Good (33) | Good (45) |
| 8 | Leep Talent (formerly Just IT) | 74.1% | 60 | Good (59) | Good (27) |
| 9 | Technical Professionals | 73.3% | 20 | Excellent (38) | Excellent (17) |
| 10 | Apprentify | 71.4% | 40 | Good (71) | Good (42) |
| 11 | QA | 70.6% | 770 | Good (248) | Good (282) |
| 12 | Cambridge Spark | 69.1% | 530 | Good (55) | Good (124) |
| 13 | Corndel | 67.1% | 350 | Excellent (131) | Excellent (442) |
| 14 | Remit Group | 66.7% | 10 | Good (50) | Good (38) |
| 15 | BPP | 66.7% | 110 | Good (373) | Good (327) |
| 16 | Estio Training | 63.7% | 100 | Good (30) | Good (20) |
| 17 | Nowskills | 63.6% | 20 | Good (29) | Good (9) |
| 18 | The IT Skills Management Company | 59.4% | 30 | Excellent (6) | Not enough reviews |
| 19 | Decoded | 53.9% | 210 | Excellent (4) | Good (27) |
| 20 | Multiverse | 50.1% | 2,770 | Good (105) | Good (1276) |
| 21 | Learning Curve Group | 47.1% | 20 | Good (44) | Good (48) |
| 22 | Kaplan | 46.4% | 30 | Good (192) | Good (117) |
| 23 | Projecting Success | 32.9% | 70 | Poor (6) | Good (22) |
| – | TESS Group | No published rate yet (fewer than 10 completions in 2024/25) | – | Good (15) | Good (21) |
23 of 130 providers listed for this standard have a published 2024/25 achievement rate. Median across those providers: 69.1%. Learner-weighted average: 58.9% across 5,450 apprentices. Source: Find Apprenticeship Training, course 80, read 15 October 2026.
Level 3 Data Technician (ST0795): 21 providers with a published rate, of 113 listed
| # | Provider | Achievement rate 2024/25 | Apprentices in cohort | Employer reviews 2025/26 | Apprentice reviews 2025/26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Development Manager | 100.0% | 10 | Excellent (19) | Good (19) |
| 2 | Metagedu Apprenticeships | 87.5% | 10 | Excellent (6) | Not enough reviews |
| 3 | Baltic Apprenticeships | 80.6% | 130 | Excellent (97) | Excellent (42) |
| 4 | Corndel | 79.8% | 640 | Excellent (131) | Excellent (442) |
| 5 | Ginger Nut Media | 77.8% | 10 | Excellent (34) | Excellent (23) |
| 6 | The Apprentice Academy | 76.2% | 20 | Excellent (78) | Excellent (43) |
| 7 | Decoded | 75.3% | 90 | Excellent (4) | Good (27) |
| 8 | Instep UK | 69.2% | 30 | Excellent (24) | Good (67) |
| 9 | Cambridge Spark | 68.9% | 240 | Good (55) | Good (124) |
| 10 | Leep Talent (formerly Just IT) | 67.5% | 80 | Good (59) | Good (27) |
| 11 | Remit Group | 66.7% | 10 | Good (50) | Good (38) |
| 12 | QA | 65.0% | 350 | Good (248) | Good (282) |
| 13 | Kaplan | 64.3% | 40 | Good (192) | Good (117) |
| 14 | Lifetime Training | 62.5% | 30 | Good (112) | Good (319) |
| 15 | Learning Curve Group | 57.9% | 20 | Good (44) | Good (48) |
| 16 | BPP | 57.2% | 190 | Good (373) | Good (327) |
| 17 | Technical Professionals | 56.3% | 30 | Excellent (38) | Excellent (17) |
| 18 | Multiverse | 55.9% | 2,600 | Good (105) | Good (1276) |
| 19 | Nowskills | 54.5% | 10 | Good (29) | Good (9) |
| 20 | Babington | 50.8% | 60 | Good (136) | Good (130) |
| 21 | Firebrand | 48.0% | 30 | Good (33) | Good (45) |
| – | TESS Group | No published rate yet (fewer than 10 completions in 2024/25) | – | Good (15) | Good (21) |
21 of 113 providers listed for this standard have a published 2024/25 achievement rate. Median across those providers: 66.7%. Learner-weighted average: 62.3% across 4,630 apprentices. Source: Find Apprenticeship Training, course 576, read 15 October 2026.
Level 5 Data Engineer (ST1386): 18 providers are listed and none has a published achievement rate yet. The standard was approved in December 2023 and the first cohorts have not completed in volume.
What the numbers say: at Level 4 the largest provider by far, Multiverse, achieves 50.1% across 2,770 apprentices, which drags the learner-weighted average to 58.9% against a provider median of 69.1%. Baltic, Corndel and Cambridge Spark are the only large providers above or near the median with Excellent or Good reviews. At Level 3 the pattern repeats: Multiverse 55.9% on 2,600 apprentices; Corndel 79.8% on 640; Baltic 80.6% on 130. Cohort size matters: a 100% on 10 apprentices is a different claim from 79.8% on 640.
How TESS compares on the things the tables cannot show
Where the published numbers stop, these are the differences an employer can check on the page before a discovery call.
| Feature | TESS Group | Typical data provider |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor certification at Level 4 | Microsoft PL-300 included as standard | Optional, at extra cost, or not offered |
| Funding band shown on the page | £13,000, £15,000 and £19,000, with co-investment worked out | "Levy-funded", no figure |
| Grading and assessment method stated | Yes, from the Skills England assessment plan | Rarely |
| Reviews on the page | 4.9/5 from 791 verified reviews, Ofsted Good | One or two client quotes |
| Support between workshops | Named skills coach, monthly one-to-one, Coachy AI tutor 24/7 | Tutor contact at reviews |
| AI in the data programme | AI-augmented analysis module and an NCFE AI Prompt Engineering credential | A renamed module or a generic "AI skills" claim |
| Progression | Level 3 to Level 4 to Level 5 data, or across to the AI & Automation Level 4 | One standard, then a new provider |
What a data apprenticeship costs the employer
Each standard has a maximum funding band. Levy payers with funds in their account pay nothing extra; the figures below are the co-investment where it applies. We confirm your exact position on the call and never quote a levy balance we cannot see.
Use the levy calculator for your own numbers, or the Levy Clock to see when funds you have already paid will expire.
Who data apprenticeships are for
Existing staff first. Every TESS data apprentice needs a role with real data work to practise on; that is where the portfolio and the end-point assessment project come from.
- Operations, finance, HR and marketing administrators who build the reports everyone uses: Level 3 Data Technician.
- Analysts, finance assistants and reporting leads who already answer questions with data and need SQL, Power BI, Python and statistics to do it properly: Level 4 Data Analyst.
- Data, IT and software staff who will own pipelines, warehouses and platforms: Level 5 Data Engineer, from 2027.
- Teams moving from analysis to automation: pair a data apprenticeship with the AI & Automation Practitioner Level 4, which many employers run as the next step for a Level 4 analyst.
- New hires aged 16 and over are equally eligible; we can help you advertise the vacancy on Find an Apprenticeship.
Data apprenticeships: questions employers ask
Straight answers from the standards and our own delivery.
Plan your data apprenticeships
Tell us who you want to train and at what level. A 30-minute call covers eligibility, funding for your organisation, the right level for each person, and the next cohort date.
Book a discovery callOr call us on 0333 0523 003 · See the full data and AI ladder