Apprentice Data Scientist

Wage: £24,309 a year
Training course: Data scientist (integrated degree) (level 6)
Hours: Our apprentices work a standard Monday to Friday, 37 hours per week. The start and finish times of the apprenticeship are to be agreed with the line manager. Please note that upon completion there will be unsociable hours working on a rota.
Start date: Monday 17 August 2026
Duration: 4 years
Positions available: 1

Summary

We have an exciting opportunity an Apprentice Data Scientist to join the Central Control Team at Yorkshire Water and be a part of helping Yorkshire Water to provide the best service to our customers. Could this be you?

Wage £24,309 a year Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab) An annual incentive bonus is also paid to Apprentices Training course Data scientist (integrated degree) (level 6) Hours Our apprentices work a standard Monday to Friday, 37 hours per week. The start and finish times of the apprenticeship are to be agreed with the line manager. Please note that upon completion there will be unsociable hours working on a rota. 37 hours a week Start date Monday 17 August 2026 Duration 4 years Positions available 1

What you'll do at work

As a Data Scientist Apprentice working within Central Control you will spend time with a variety of Intelligence Analysts and Optimisation Specialists to monitor, analyse and present data to maintain the safety and optimisation of our sites and processes.

This will include building your competence in:

Identifying poor performing wastewater assets through analysis of predictive performance indicators, historical data analysis and monitoring data. Making performance data available to stakeholders (e.g. River Health, Wastewater Operations, and external contractors and consultants). Liaison with compliance and policy teams to help develop and standardise procedure to ensure compliance to procedure and consistency of service to maximise success rate/incidents avoided. Engaging internal stakeholders within the organisation to communicate progress, performance and recommendations for improvement. Scenario modelling/ forecasting, utilising new systems and technology to improve understanding of risks, building in site knowledge and root cause insights. Understanding our central systems and processes so that we can provide a centre of excellence with respect to alarm and SCADA management. To ensure we meet our compliance, pollution and optimisation targets. Working closely with Business Team Leaders and other business representatives to ensure that system configurations are optimised and data records are effectively maintained and where appropriate amended in a timely fashion.

Where you'll work

You can select which locations you want to apply for in your application on Find an apprenticeship.

This apprenticeship is available in these locations:

1 Savannah Way, Leeds Valley Park, Leeds, LS10 1AB Western House, Halifax Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD6 2SZ

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

What you'll learn

Course contents Identify and clarify problems an organisation faces, and reformulate them into Data Science problems. Devise solutions and make decisions in context by seeking feedback from stakeholders. Apply scientific methods through experiment design, measurement, hypothesis testing and delivery of results.  Collaborate with colleagues to gather requirements.Perform data engineering: create and handle datasets for analysis. Use tools and techniques to source, access, explore, profile, pipeline, combine, transform and store data, and apply governance (quality control, security, privacy) to data.Identify and use an appropriate range of programming languages and tools for data manipulation, analysis, visualisation, and system integration. Select appropriate data structures and algorithms for the problem.  Develop reproducible analysis and robust code, working in accordance with software development standards, including security, accessibility, code quality and version control.Use analysis and models to inform and improve organisational outcomes, building models and validating results with statistical testing: perform statistical analysis, correlation vs causation, feature selection and engineering, machine learning, optimisation, and simulations, using the appropriate techniques for the problem.Implement data solutions, using relevant software engineering architectures and design patterns. Evaluate Cloud vs. on-premise deployment.  Determine the implicit and explicit value of data. Assess value for money and Return on Investment.  Scale a system up/out. Evaluate emerging trends and new approaches. Compare the pros and cons of software applications and techniques.Find, present, communicate and disseminate outputs effectively and with high impact through creative storytelling, tailoring the message for the audience. Use the best medium for each audience, such as technical writing, reporting and dashboards.  Visualise data to tell compelling and actionable narratives.  Make recommendations to decision makers to contribute towards the achievement of organisation goals.Develop and maintain collaborative relationships at strategic and operational levels, using methods of organisational empathy (human, organisation and technical) and build relationships through active listening and trust development.Use project delivery techniques and tools appropriate to their Data Science project and organisation. Plan, organise and manage resources to successfully run a small Data Science project, achieve organisational goals and enable effective change.

Training schedule

Specialist Tech training provider QA delivers the Level 6 Data Scientist Programme through their virutal platform. This includes live lectures as well as some self-study. You can expect to be spending one day per week of your working time on your Degree.

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

Any Science Subject (grade C/4/Pass)English (Literature or Language) (grade C/4/Pass)Mathematics (grade C/4/Pass)

A Level in:

Any 3 A-levels including either I.T. or Business (grade C/Pass)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

Communication skillsIT skillsAttention to detailProblem solving skillsPresentation skillsNumber skillsAnalytical skillsLogicalTeam working

About this employer

Everyone has an idea of what a water company does. Here in Yorkshire, we make sure that over 5.4 million people living in the region and the millions of people who visit our region each year, can rely on our services, and have clean and safe drinking water on tap and that their wastewater is taken away. But for us, it’s so much more than this.  We look after communities, protect the environment, and plan to look after Yorkshire’s water, today, tomorrow 24/7, 365 days a year. We provide essential water and wastewater services to every corner of the Yorkshire region, and play a key role in the region’s health, wellbeing, and prosperity.   New environmental legislation, unprecedented levels of investment and changing expectations from customers means that this is an exciting time to discover opportunities within the water industry. Our People team are a key part of how we plan to meet the changing expectations of customers and regulators.

https://www.yorkshirewater.com/ (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

25 days holiday +bank holidays and wellness day Pension: Up to 12% Company contribution Life Insurance: 4 times pensionable salary

After this apprenticeship

Upon completion of the Apprenticeship, the Apprentice will move into an Alarm Optimisation role that has a dedicated progression plan linked to furtrher development opportunities and pay increases.