Organisation Name:

Audit Scotland

Team/department:

Performance Audit and Best Value

Address:

4th Floor, 102 West Port, Edinburgh, EH3 9DN

Provisional title for project:

Programme development policy briefing

Provisional start date of the project (mid-May or later):

Flexible

Provisional end date of the project (no later than 31 August):

Flexible

A description of what the project would probably undertake,  including any data to be used and expected or proposed outputs:

At Audit Scotland we are working to make public services better for the people of Scotland. The project would be a real opportunity to make a contribution, carrying out research work to inform our future audit work. This research would cover an area of interest to you, which could be anything from health to rural issues, justice to transport, or education to economic development. Involving mainly desk based research and analysis, with the opportunity to engage with people in the sector, you would produce a clear and innovative final report using tools such as infographics, and present the work to the wider organisation through a ‘Knowledge Cafe’.

Key words (up to 12):

public sector, audit, policy, data, analysis, programme development

Essential skills that the student would need to have:

Good communication/interpersonal skills, Good oral and written communications skills, Good quantitative analysis skills, Good time management skills

Desirable skills that the student would need to have:

Ability to think laterally and creatively, Good self awareness and confident with ability to work on own initiative, Working knowledge of the Microsoft Excel

Address where the work will be carried out:

4th Floor, 102 West Port, Edinburgh, EH3 9DN

Preferred selection method:

Flexible to suit candidate

Provisional date for interview:

TBC

Support and training offered by the organisation:

You will be managed by a member of the Performance Audit and Best Value team who comes from a similar social research background and they will provide support and guidance throughout the project. Support will also be available across teams in the wider organisation, for example working with our publications to produce infographics. There will also be an opportunity to be matched with an Audit Scotland trainee ‘buddy’ to give you insight into the financial trained process at Audit Scotland.

Any issues of data confidentiality and/or IPR that would need to be resolved:

None

Additional information:

You will have the opportunity to work within our brand new modern offices in the heart of Edinburgh. These offices provide a collaborative and forward thinking public sector working environment which you will be able to make full use of. Find out more about the work of Audit Scotland through our website.

Remuneration/Stipend

A stipened – £180 a week 

Organisation Name:

ScotCen Social Research

Team/department:

Survey Research Centre

Address:

Scotiabank House 6 South Charlotte Street Edinburgh

Postcode:

EH2 4AW

Provisional title for project:

Surveys in the real world: supporting the delivery of the Scottish Health Survey

Provisional start date of the project:

01/06/15 (but with some flexibility)

Provisional end date of the project:

31/08/15 (but with some flexibility)

A description of what the project would probably undertake, including any data to be used and expected or proposed outputs:

The Scottish Health Survey (SHeS) is a large-scale continuous cross-sectional study which has been running since 1995. SHeS provides a detailed picture of the health of the Scottish population in private households and is designed to make a major contribution to the monitoring of health in Scotland. As a survey with National Statistics status, there are strict methodological and reporting requirements. This placement will give the student experience of a range of data and broader survey related tasks including running analysis, checking syntax and outputs, assisting with survey briefings and fieldwork reports, and assisting with the technical report.

Key words (up to 12):

Survey, social research, cross-sectional, population, quantitative data, public health, data management, analysis

Essential skills that the student would need to have:

Basic SPSS – e.g. able, with guidance, to write SPSS syntax to undertake basic analysis and data management tasks such as running frequencies and cross-tabulations, renaming and re-labelling data and deriving basic variables or recoding variables.

Desirable skills that the student would need to have:

Intermediate level SPSS, Substantive interest in public health, Familiarity with existing survey datasets

Address where the work will be carried out:

Scotiabank House, 6 South Charlotte Street, Edinburgh, EH2 4AW

Preferred selection method:

Face to face, informal interview/discussion

Provisional date for interview:

16th, 17th or 18th February 2016

Support and training offered by the organisation:

Support and training in use of SPSS for data management and analysis including use of SPSS syntax. Working alongside and getting support from quantitative researchers running some of Scotland’s largest and most complex surveys including the Scottish Health Survey, Growing Up in Scotland, Scottish Crime and Justice Survey and Scottish Social Attitudes. Exposure to survey experience from questionnaire development through data collection to data management and analysis via on the job opportunities.

Any issues of data confidentiality and/or IPR that would need to be resolved:

The student would be required to sign a confidentiality agreement before commencing work.

Additional information:

Find out more about us at: www.scotcen.org.uk

Remuneration/Stipend

Stipend – £180 a week

Organisation Name:

Ipsos MORI Scotland

Team/department:

Public Affairs (Scottish Office)

Address:

4 Wemyss Place Edinburgh

Provisional title for project:

Do high survey response rates reduce non-response bias?

Provisional start date of the project (mid-May or later):

Early June

Provisional end date of the project (no later than 31 August):

Late August

A description of what the project would probably undertake, including any data to be used and expected or proposed outputs:

The SHS is the largest, and one of the most important, household surveys in Scotland. The response rate is kept high by reissuing addresses that were unproductive on first allocation – but what impact does this have on reducing bias in the resulting data? The project would involve analysing the Scottish Household Survey – both the survey data and associated contact meta-data - to examine patterns of response and how these affect the representativeness of the final data. The keys outputs would be a short focussed paper describing the work and the results, plus a presentation to Ipsos MORI staff and, potentially, invited guests (such as the survey managers at the Scottish Government).

Key words (up to 12):

Response rates, social surveys, bias, Scottish Household Survey

Essential skills that the student would need to have:

Excellent analytical skills. High level of technical expertise in SPSS. Strong problem solving skills. Good communication skills

Desirable skills that the student would need to have:

Experience of using logistic regression. Interest in survey methodology.

Address where the work will be carried out (including post code):

Edinburgh (due to re-locate office in July)

Preferred selection method (interview or other meeting, via skype or in person):

Interview

Provisional date for interview:

tbc

Support and training offered by the organisation:

During the placement, the student will be assigned to Chris Martin, project manager of the SHS who will act as their line manager. There will be weekly meetings with the student to set and review work objectives and to ensure that the student maximises the development opportunities available through the placement. For the duration of the placement, the student will be treated as a full member of the Ipsos MORI Scotland team. Relevant specific training will be offered where necessary.

Any issues of data confidentiality and/or IPR that would need to be managed:

None

Additional information:

https://www.ipsos-mori.com/contactus/offices/scotland/

Remuneration/Stipend

We would offer the placement student a stipend equal to the minimum wage.

Organisation Name:

Scottish Government

Team/department:

Health and Social Care, Analytical Services, Population Health Team

Address:

Scottish Government, St. Andrew's House, Regent Road, Edinburgh, EH1 3DG

Provisional title for project:

Analysis of non-drinkers in Scotland

Provisional start date of the project (mid-May or later):

Mid May 2016

Provisional end date of the project (no later than 31 August):

Early July 2016

A description of what the project would probably undertake, including any data to be used and expected or proposed outputs:

The project would involve analysing data from the Scottish Health Survey to consider the profile non-drinking adults in Scotland.  The Scottish Health Survey provides information on the health, and factors relating to health, of people living in Scotland.  Data goes back to 1995 and the survey has run on a continuous basis since 2008.  The output would be in the form of a short paper or slides and possibly a presentation of the results.

Key words (up to 12):

Data analysis, health, alcohol, non-drinkers

Essential skills that the student would need to have:

Analytical and communication skills.

Desirable skills that the student would need to have:

Experience of using one of the statistical analysis packages SAS or SPSS would be beneficial but not essential.  Experience of working with survey data would be beneficial.

Address where the work will be carried out:

Scottish Government, St. Andrew's House, Regent Road, Edinburgh, EH1 3DG

Preferred selection method:

Informal interview

Provisional date for interview:

March 2016

Support and training offered by the organisation:

Support in analysing the Scottish Health Survey using SAS will be provided

Any issues of data confidentiality and/or IPR that would need to be managed:

National Statistics Code of Conduct and Civil Service Code of conduct will apply.

Additional information: