Professional Economist

On a professional economist apprenticeship course, you’ll help produce rigorous, relevant and impactful economic analysis to drive decision-making at all levels.

As a professional economist, your work will typically consist of finding a subject of interest that affects your organisation, addressing it by analysing data, interpreting this by relying on economic theory or making informed predictions and effectively communicating any outcomes.

You could be comparing the costs and benefits of investing in new transportation lines, hospitals, or schools; advising clients on their likely market size and share, such as predicting the number of mobile phones they can expect to sell; assisting in the creation of the government’s budget or advising the Bank of England on interest rate policy; or advising organisations on the economic impact of climate or technological change and what their business or policy responsibilities are.

You will most likely work as part of a team for a more senior economist as a professional economist.

What you’ll learn

On a professional economist apprenticeship course, you’ll learn to:

• Analyse complex information and data thoroughly, depending on economic knowledge and applying it to problems of importance to the organisation, while being aware of the limitations of economic analysis and available data. To offer this analysis, you must show a solid working knowledge and proficiency with appropriate statistical and spreadsheet tools. 
• Clear and concisely communicate economic concepts, analyses, or recommendations, as well as risks and uncertainties. This should be done in writing and verbally to experts and non-specialists. 
• Communicate succinctly, tailoring your message to the audience for maximum impact. Demonstrate the ability to listen to, analyse, and understand the demands of stakeholders to ensure that economic analysis addresses an issue that will satisfy their expectations.
• Use your discretion while collecting evidence from various sources, evaluating the relevance, quality, and validity of research, and showing your ability to distil this evidence so that it addresses the problem at hand.
• Challenge methods and results appropriately and regularly evaluate the quality of research to ensure that the organisation produces solid economic analysis that can survive scrutiny.
• Work under pressure and adjust to changing priorities. To meet deadlines across many projects, effectively organise and prioritise time, as well as manage the contributions of others.
• Maintain effective, professional working connections across organisations, both internally and outside, through working successfully in teams and with individuals.

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need:

• Three A-levels or equivalent relevant level 3 qualifications, including maths or a willingness to improve maths capability to this level.
• Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this before taking the end-point assessment.

Assessment methods

The End Point Assessment comprises three distinct assessment methods: 

• Dissertation
• Technical Assessment
• Interview

Duration, level, subjects and potential salary upon completion

Apprenticeship standard

More information about the Level 6 Professional Economist Apprenticeship standard can be found here.

Apprenticeship end point assessment

For more information about the End Point Assessment Process, please read the Institute of Apprenticeships’ information page.