Page 112 - Contributed Paper Session (CPS) - Volume 3

CPS1955 Solange Correa O. et al.
has been offering an onsite annual CPD programme in collaboration with
Oxford Brookes University. Table 4 shows ONS CPD programme scheduled in
the 2018-2019 academic year.

Table 4. Timetable for modules delivered at ONS. UK Master’s in Data
Analytics for Government. 2018-2019 academic year. ONS and Oxford
Brookes University

Module Date
th
st
Introduction to Machine Learning 21 – 25 January 2019
th
24 – 28 June 2019
th
Data Visualisation 21 – 25 January 2019
st
th
th
th
Survey Fundamentals 20 – 24 May 2019
th
th
Introduction to Distributed Systems 20 – 24 May 2019
th
Statistics in Government 10 – 14 June 2019
th

The MDataGov Framework Implementation
Implementation of the MDataGov Framework started 13 months before its
formal launch in October 2017. From September to November 2016, ONS
organised market events and consultations with a range of government
departments and representatives of UK analytical professions to agree the
core set of analytic skills required across government. In December 2016, ONS
released the MDataGov Framework and opened a public Tender Process
inviting universities to submit their proposals for appreciation. The Framework
included guidelines on programme structure, module titles and contents and
delivery mode. One of the key requirements of the Framework was the offering
by each university of at least four optional modules in Statistics and at least
four optional modules in data science related topics (e.g. machine learning,
data visualisation, etc.).
From March to September 2017, ONS worked closely with the three
successful universities, organising quarterly review meetings to ensure a
smooth implementation of the programme. At this stage, ONS provided the
three universities with complete material for four government-specific
modules (Statistics in Government, Introduction to Survey Research, Survey
Data Collection and National Accounts) free of charge.
In October 2017, the first intake of over 80 civil servants started the
programme as either full Master’s or CPD students. In October 2018, this
number rose to over 100 civil servants. For some university partners, provision
and delivery of the full programme of agreed modules took longer than
anticipated. An extended deadline of August 2019 was agreed with affected
partners, to enable them to adapt their existing curricula to meet government

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