To mark National Apprenticeship Week (5-11 February)[i] The OR Society, the leading membership organisation for operational researchers, is highlighting a Level 7 apprenticeship for an Operational Research Specialist[ii] as a route into a varied and diverse career after university or to facilitate a career change for someone currently employed.
Operational Research involves the application of advanced mathematical techniques such as modelling, optimisation, and simulation, coupled with innovative problem-solving approaches, to address complex real-world challenges. The OR Society’s 24-month apprenticeship is equivalent to a Master’s degree and enables apprentices to develop skills to become an Operational Research Specialists.
An Operational Research Specialist could work in organisations of all sizes and in diverse sectors - from government and other public sector bodies to engineering, banking, healthcare, telecommunications, defence, management consulting, transport and education. For employers, offering the Operational Research Specialist apprenticeship enables them to develop the skills they need in-house by taking on a new graduate as well as offer career progression to existing employees.
Employers can use their apprenticeship levy funding to pay for the training, or smaller firms who don’t pay the levy can apply for an apprenticeship levy donation to help fund the apprenticeship and benefit from up to 95% government funding.
Typical roles after completing the apprenticeship include analytics specialist, decision support analyst, management scientist, modeller and operational analyst, consultant or researcher.
Seb Hargreaves, Executive Director of The OR Society said, “In National Apprenticeship Week we hope to inspire the next generation of operational researchers and analysts and raise awareness of the opportunity to take the apprenticeship route into a rewarding career.
“Operational Research is a rapidly growing field and people with OR skills are very much in demand. An Operational Research Specialist apprenticeship can enable a graduate who may not have trained in this subject to develop the skills and on-the-job training and experience to work in a variety of operational research roles.
“For organisations, a qualified Operational Research Specialist can help deliver a wide range of performance improvements such as reducing costs, increasing revenue, saving lives through improvements in healthcare, raising levels of customer service or designing public policy. We encourage firms to consider the apprenticeship as a fantastic way to develop the specific skills they need and improve staff retention.”
For more information about The OR Society visit: www.theorsociety.com.