Degree Apprenticeships

Social research helps us to understand public opinion, attitudes and behaviour. It includes data collection through interviews, experiments, surveys and focus groups. It also includes data analysis; from identifying themes and telling a story to data mining and machine learning. Social research findings are used by government, public bodies, charities and other organisations to develop policies and make decisions. 

It is a fulfilling career – days are varied, the work is important, and people are passionate about what they do.

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About the job

Verian is one of the leading social research agencies in the UK. We carry out research for governments, charities and other public sector organisations – helping them understand what people feel, think and do. This supports government priorities and, ultimately, improves people’s lives.

We have over 150 specialist researchers and are based in a fabulous, open plan office in Westminster, opposite the Houses of Parliament.

Our work hits the headlines and helps shape government policy:

• We run projects like the Crime Survey of England and Wales, interviewing over 30,000 people each year about their experiences as victims of crime, on behalf of the Home Office and Office for National Statistics. 
• We carry out the UK's largest longitudinal household study, Understanding Society, which follows people over a long period of time, capturing life in the 21st Century. 
• Our team helps government and public bodies analyse and increase the impact of their communications; from NHS healthy eating campaigns to Transport for London posters reminding you to ‘mind the gap’.
• We also evaluate government policy. For example, the Project ADDER evaluation for the Home Office which aimed to address drug addiction and stop the supply of illicit drugs in the hardest-hit areas across England and Wales.

Your day-to-day role

As a Social Research Apprentice, you will gain practical experience in the workplace whilst studying for a degree in applied social research.

In the workplace (80% of your time), you’ll be involved in all stages of the research, supporting the day-to-day running of projects and conducting quantitative and qualitative research. You will help create research tools, coordinate surveys, carry out interviews and focus groups, analyse data and share findings. 

Alongside your practical work, you will study for an honours degree in applied social research at the University of Kent, with weekly online seminars, and an annual residential on campus. Verian will cover the cost for you to attend in-person teaching when required. You will also have access to one-to-one coaching and guidance from a dedicated Apprenticeship Advisor.  

You will have extensive support in the workplace with a dedicated line manager and development plan to support your degree learning. You will be working with a fun and friendly group of people who will help you to grow your skills, challenge yourself and meet your goals.

Throughout the programme, you’ll engage in collaborative learning. You’ll be part of a group of social research apprentices (2-4 at Verian and around 40 across various organisations) learning together and supporting each other as you work towards your degree. This collaborative approach helps you grow both individually and as part of a supportive team.

About the degree

Over the course of 4 years, you will study the Level 6 applied social research standard, leading to a BSc honours degree with The University of Kent. 

About your BSc research degree: 

• 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 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. 

As part of your degree, your teaching will be largely online with some face-to-face teaching, including an in-person residential week each year at the University of Kent in Canterbury. The course begins in September 2025.

Verian will cover the cost for you to attend in-person teaching when required, from our central London location.  

The application process

The full process is shown below. 

After the initial application stage, we will invite candidates to an assessment half-day at our London office. It will include a written exercise and an interview and you will receive a briefing pack in advance explaining what to expect and how to prepare. There will also be the chance to meet the Verian team in person to hear more about life at Verian and what being a social researcher is about.

Successful candidates will be notified by the end of June latest if they have been offered an apprenticeship with Verian. We expect apprentices to start work at Verian in July/August 2025 and to start their degree course in September 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

The degree takes four years to complete and your contract with Verian will be for four years.