Provide robust research and analysis that forms the foundation for social policy development, implementation, and evaluation, impacting important decisions that seek to ensure the best possible investment of public money and outcomes for members of society.
This occupation is found in the public, private and third sector organisations, from small through to large employers, including central and local government, research organisations, charities, and academia.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to provide robust research and analysis that forms the foundation for social policy development, implementation, and evaluation, impacting important decisions that seek to ensure the best possible investment of public money and outcomes for members of society. Social researchers use a range of research and analysis methods, advise on research designs, assess the appropriateness of different methodologies, and evaluate the quality of evidence and apply structured thinking to critically assess problems, drawing on their social research expertise and knowledge to evaluate the strengths and limitations of different research approaches.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with internal teams such as other researchers, economists, statisticians, methodologists, operations, policymakers, procurement, finance, and IT. They also interact with external stakeholders, including customers, collaborators, service providers, research participants and other members of the public. Building and maintaining relationships is critical to the social researcher role; they support and oversee colleagues during all stages of the research process and work with a range of colleagues, customers, and stakeholders.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for a variety of duties such as systematic evidence reviews, writing or contributing to proposal development, design, and implementation of qualitative and quantitative research according to ethical principles, developing primary data collection tools (such as surveys, in-depth interviews and focus groups), managing and monitoring fieldwork and controlled trials, data management and quality control, data analysis using specialist software packages, reporting, dissemination, the synthesis of research findings, and the overall project management of research. Evidence from these activities is used to brief policymakers and customers, to provide informative and timely insights to inform decision making. Typically, social researchers work independently leading on some elements of research and as part of the wider research team on other duties. A social researcher reports directly to their line manager, who will be a more senior colleague within their team. They may have staff management and/or budgetary responsibilities.
Social researchers must comply with the appropriate information security standards, GDPR, ethical standards, legal guidance, and other best practice guidance within their organisation. They may be required to obtain DBS clearance and/or other security clearances to carry out primary data collection or to access sensitive data. Social researchers are expected to have an awareness of the budget and costs of their projects and flag any concerns to the project lead. They may be office-based, work remotely or in a hybrid working environment. They are sometimes required to travel to attend meetings or training, to carry out data collection or to train interviewers.
This is a summary of the key things that you – the apprentice and your employer need to know about your end-point assessment (EPA). You and your employer should read the EPA plan for the full details. It has information on assessment method requirements, roles and responsibilities, and re-sits and re-takes.
An EPA is an assessment at the end of your apprenticeship. It will assess you against the knowledge, skills, and behaviours (KSBs) in the occupational standard. Your training will cover the KSBs. The EPA is your opportunity to show an independent assessor how well you can carry out the occupation you have been trained for.
Your employer will choose an end-point assessment organisation (EPAO) to deliver the EPA. Your employer and training provider should tell you what to expect and how to prepare for your EPA.
The length of the training for this apprenticeship is typically 42 months. The EPA period is typically 6 months.
The overall grades available for this apprenticeship are:
The EPA gateway is when the EPAO checks and confirms that you have met any requirements required before you start the EPA. You will only enter the gateway when your employer says you are ready.
The gateway requirements for your EPA are:
For the social researcher, the qualification required is:
Applied Social Research
Project with report
You will complete a project and write a report. You will be asked to complete a project. The title and scope must be agreed with the EPAO at the gateway. The report should be a maximum of 6000 words (with a 10% tolerance).
You will have 12 weeks to complete the project and submit the report to the EPAO.
You need to prepare and give a presentation to an independent assessor. Your presentation slides and any supporting materials should be submitted at the same time as the project output. The presentation with questions will last at least 60 minutes. The independent assessor will ask at least 6 questions about the project and presentation.
Professional discussion underpinned by a portfolio of evidence
You will have a professional discussion with an independent assessor. It will last 90 minutes. They will ask you at least 8 questions. The questions will be about certain aspects of your occupation. You need to compile a a portfolio of evidence before the EPA gateway. You can use it to help answer the questions.
You should speak to your employer if you have a query that relates to your job.
You should speak to your training provider if you have any questions about your training or EPA before it starts.
You should receive detailed information and support from the EPAO before the EPA starts. You should speak to them if you have any questions about your EPA once it has started.Reasonable adjustments
If you have a disability, a physical or mental health condition or other special considerations, you may be able to have a reasonable adjustment that takes this into account. You should speak to your employer, training provider and EPAO and ask them what support you can get. The EPAO will decide if an adjustment is appropriate.
This apprenticeship aligns with The Market Research Society for Member Level
Please contact the professional body for more details.
| Version | Change detail | Earliest start date | Latest start date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Approved for delivery | 29/08/2023 | Not set |
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