Data-driven Professional

It's a nationally recognised qualification that teaches people to collect, organise, analyse and present data in their everyday work. With Corndel, the Data-driven Professional programme leads to the Level 3 Data Technician qualification. It also builds foundational AI skills through personal coaching, hands-on projects and masterclasses with Imperial.

Data literacy is the ability to read, understand, question and communicate data with confidence. When your teams have it, decisions rest on evidence rather than gut feel. They interpret dashboards correctly and spot the trends that matter. It's also the foundation for using AI tools well, because people need to judge whether an AI-generated answer is reliable.

It's for professionals in any role who work with data but aren't data specialists, such as people in operations, finance, HR, marketing or project teams. If someone spends time on spreadsheets, reports or dashboards and wants to turn that data into confident decisions, this programme is built for them.

The programme runs for 12 months, followed by a 2-month assessment period. People study alongside their day job, with learning built around real work projects so new skills are applied straight away.

The programme is fully funded through the Growth and Skills Levy. Levy-paying employers can use their levy funds to cover the cost. Smaller employers that don't pay the levy can access government co-funding. Larger organisations can also transfer unused levy funds to support apprenticeships elsewhere. Read our guide on the Apprenticeship Levy.

The curriculum covers spreadsheets, data visualisation, data quality, data storytelling, automating tasks in Excel and Power BI, and data security. It also includes AI skills: writing effective prompts, using Microsoft Copilot to analyse data, checking AI output for errors, and using AI responsibly at work.

Yes. People learn the basics of generative AI and prompt writing, use Copilot Chat and Copilot in Power BI to analyse data, and learn how to spot hallucinations and check AI-generated output. The programme also covers ethical use of data in AI and automated systems.

Each person receives one-to-one coaching from a dedicated coach, along with hands-on, practical learning and interactive workshops. They also have access to live and on-demand masterclasses with Imperial academics and industry experts. Learning is primarily online and fits around work, approximately 7.5 hours a week, including learning and applying new skills.

There are no formal data qualifications needed to start. People must be employed by a UK organisation, meet standard apprenticeship eligibility rules, and have a role that gives them the chance to apply data skills

The Level 3 programme builds data and AI fluency for professionals who use data as part of a wider role. The Level 4 Data Analyst apprenticeship is for people moving into a dedicated analyst role, with greater technical skills in areas such as SQL and statistical analysis. Many people progress from Level 3 to Level 4.