Government Social Research Degree Apprenticeship Programme
The GSRDAP is a four-year apprenticeship programme which offers a first of its kind opportunity to gain real working experience while studying for an undergraduate degree.
The Government Social Research Degree Apprenticeship Programme is now closed. Please register to be notified when the scheme opens again in early 2025.
What is a Government Social Researcher and why it might be for me?
Being a Government Social Researcher involves studying and analysing various aspects of society, like people’s behaviour, opinions, and needs. This then helps the government make informed decisions. social researchers in government work on a wide variety of programmes and projects and are at the heart of building better policy that can improve people’s lives.
To do this, social researchers use a range of methods; for example, they design and gather data on surveys that aim to quantify a population’s views, conduct interviews, and focus groups that explore what people think in greater depth, and run experiments to decide what kinds of social programmes work best. Alongside this, social researchers often make use of transferable and in demand coding skills to analyse and visualise large amounts of data.
They use these results to provide recommendations to policymakers. Social research helps make society better and fairer by using data and research to guide government decisions.
What is the Government Social Research Degree Apprenticeship Programme (GSRDAP)?
The GSRDAP is a four-year apprenticeship programme which offers a first of its kind opportunity to gain real experience working on some of the government’s most impactful projects, while gaining a bespoke undergraduate degree in social research.
Where will I be working?
Apprentices could be placed in any one of the following 14 government departments, each with their own unique and important mission which helps make the UK a better place to live:
- Department for Education
- Department of Health and Social Care
- Department for Work and Pensions
- His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs
- Home Office
- Ministry of Justice
- Office for National Statistics
- College of Policing
- His Majesty’s Treasury
- Cabinet Office
- Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
- Department for Business and Trade
- Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
- Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Learn more about the departments in our department profiles here:
Can I choose which department I will work for?
Successful candidates may be allocated to any of the participating departments, though we will take your location into consideration. Please note: while we will make every effort to allocate a department within a location - this is not guaranteed.
Some departments require candidates to have a UK footprint for 5 years to get security clearance including the Home Office, HM Treasury, Ministry of Justice and some other departments.
Who will I be studying with?
Apprentices will typically spend one day a week being taught by some of the world’s foremost social research experts at the University of Kent. On successful completion of the programme, apprentices will receive an honours degree in applied social research from this university. Most learning will take place virtually.
Apprentices will work closely with academic methods experts and peers remotely through weekly online live lectures and seminars, and face-to-face through an annual residential on campus*. These are occasions for both in depth learning and socialising with fellow apprentices. Throughout the degree, apprentices will have access to one-to-one coaching and guidance from a dedicated course tutor.
During the course, apprentices will also be fully registered as students at the university, giving them all the benefits that come with this.
*The exact learning schedule will be finalised at a later date.
What will I be studying?
This is the UK’s first ever bespoke applied social research undergraduate degree apprenticeship. You will develop transferable and applied knowledge, skills and behaviours that will set you up for a long career in modern social research. The course will cover a broad range of contemporary quantitative and qualitative social research methods and skills, alongside how they can be applied to bring about real-world change and help government and organisations make better decisions.
This includes, but is not limited to: how to collect and use data for analysis in a range of different social contexts; how to design impactful research projects that could inform some of society’s most pressing questions; how to make use of modern social research software that will also bring you transferrable skills in coding; and you will have the opportunity to undertake an independent research project in an area of relevant interest to you.
When will it start?
The first cohort of apprentices will be welcomed in September 2024.
How do I apply?
The application window is open from 9 January to 28 February 2024. Start your application here: Government Social Research Degree Apprenticeship Programme - Civil Service Jobs - GOV.UK.
For more information on applying please see our candidate pack here:
Q&A Sessions
There will be 3 Question and Answer (Q&A) sessions with the GSR Recruitment Team, to discuss the application process and the experience of working as an apprentice in government. These will take place on:
Monday 15th January 2024,12:00 - 13:00
Place: Virtual, on Microsoft Teams.
Monday 5th February 2024, 15:00 - 16:00
Place: Virtual, on Microsoft Teams. View the recording here.
Wednesday 21st February 2024, 15:00 - 16:00
Place: Virtual, on Microsoft Teams.
Who can apply?
The GSRDAP is open to a wide variety of candidates from school leavers to career changers, and lots of people in between. Prospective apprentices can apply from as early as their last year of school. You will need a minimum of five GCSEs (including Maths at grade C (4) or above and English Language at C (4) or above) or equivalent.
You will need a minimum of 96 UCAS points under the 2017 tariff point system (e.g. CCC at A Level or equivalent qualifications, not including General Studies). You can check how many UCAS points you have by using the UCAS Tariff Calculator
We don’t expect you to have studied any social research or social sciences previously, but we are keen to know what interests you about the subject.
This apprenticeship is open to applicants from all backgrounds and demographics.
Can I apply if I already have a degree?
Yes, if your degree did not contain a substantial social research component. Applicants who would already meet the eligibility requirements in the GSR membership guidance through the qualification or experience routes are ineligible to apply for the apprenticeship programme. If you do already meet the eligibility requirements in the GSR membership guidance, we would strongly encourage you to apply to our upcoming Mainstream recruitment process instead. Applications for our Mainstream recruitment process open in February and this will be the best way for you to find a role that will better reflect your pre-existing skills and experience.
Where will apprentices be located?
Government Social Research apprentices will be located at Government departments across the UK. Locations include Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Croydon, Darlington, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Nottingham, Salford, Sheffield, Titchfield (Fareham) and York.
What’s the salary?
The minimum salary will be £26k in London, £24k nationally or £22,309 in Harrogate. Salaries vary according to department and location. Please see individual job descriptions for details here:
What benefits will I enjoy?
Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a successful career with the department and wider Civil Service. It is crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead, and you’ll benefit from regular performance and development reviews to ensure this development is ongoing.
As a Civil Service employee, you will be entitled to a large range of benefits. This includes:
- 25 days’ annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service. This is in addition to 8 public holidays. This will be complimented by one further day paid privilege entitlement to mark the King’s Birthday
- a competitive contributory pension scheme that you can enter as soon as you join where we will make a significant contribution to the cost of your pension; where your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken; and where your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire
- flexible working patterns allowing you to vary the length of your working day, if you work your total monthly full time contracted hours
- generous paid maternity and paternity leave which is notably more than the statutory minimum offered by many other employers
- childcare benefits (policy for new employees as of 5 April 2018): The government has introduced the Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme. Working parents can open an online childcare account and for every £8 they pay in, the government adds £2, up to a maximum of £2000 a year for each child or £4000 for a disabled child. Parents then use the funds to pay for registered childcare. Existing employees may be able to continue to claim childcare vouchers, so please check how the policy would work for you here Tax-Free Childcare
- interest-free loans allowing you to spread the cost of an annual travel season ticket or a new bicycle
What hours will I work?
Working weeks are 37 hours. 80% of this time is spent on GSR work, and 20% of this time will be for learning.
Why an apprenticeship?
This apprenticeship will help you put the skills you are learning in your degree to the test in real world situations. You will earn a wage as a full-time government employee, hosted by one of many participating departments, alongside having your degree and wider learning and development fully funded by the programme.
You will be supported by both academic experts and caring colleagues who will help you get the most out of this programme. This is a brilliant opportunity to gain marketable and flexible skills that will set you up for the future.
What happens once I complete my apprenticeship?
Upon successful completion of your apprenticeship and after passing the End-Point Assessment, you will receive a full honours degree from the University of Kent and a guaranteed permanent graduate job as a member of the Government Social Research Service.
Where can I go from here?
If this apprenticeship sounds like it could be for you, please apply here: Government Social Research Degree Apprenticeship Programme - Civil Service Jobs - GOV.UK
Further guidance on the apprenticeship can be found here:
Last updated 29 February 2024 + show all updates
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The Government Social Research Degree Apprenticeship Programme has now closed.
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GSRDAP Candidate Guide 2024 - file attachment has been updated.
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Applications for the GSR Degree Apprenticeship Programme are now open. Further information has been added about how to apply. A link to the application form on Civil Service Jobs has been added.
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First published.