Driving productivity and data-led insights with the Nationwide Data Academy
Learn how Nationwide, the world’s leading building society, is using apprenticeships to support their people and productivity.
Industry
Financial Services
Headcount
18,000+
100%
of learners agree programme will help them progress towards their professional goals
1 hour per week
Average time saved by learners on the programme so far
The goal
Nationwide is the world’s biggest building society. With over 15 million customers, they have a relationship with almost a quarter of the UK’s population.
Being owned by its members (banking, savings and mortgage customers) means that Nationwide can do things differently to deliver their purpose: banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society.
Nationwide identified that building data capability would help speed up decision-making and reduce inefficiencies.
“As we continue to invest in enhancing our technology and processes at Nationwide, it’s equally essential we place the same level of investment in our people and their skills. Data and insights in particular is an important area. It allows us to use data to drive our decisions, automate the work we’re doing and ultimately drive greater efficiency into the organisation.”
Dan Jones
Portfolio Management and Operations, Director, Nationwide
To help, Multiverse first conducted a skills assessment of Nationwide employees in Payments and Project Management teams who use data daily, which revealed that on average, employees were spending 14.3 hours a week on data tasks.
Our analysis showed that with the right skills, 36% of this time could be spent more effectively, allowing teams to repurpose over half a day per week on more value-add activities.
An appetite to learn new skills was already there – the survey found that 95% of employees wanted to improve their data skills.
Working together, we established the goals a data upskilling programme could achieve:
- Delivering proactive, data-led insights: leading to better and faster decision-making.
- Improving efficiency and productivity: by removing blockers that lead to delays and projects.
- Developing an engaged, data-competent workforce: empowering Nationwide employees to become data-led and insight-led.
The solution
The Multiverse and Nationwide partnership kickstarted in March 2024, with 33 learners enrolled on data and digital upskilling apprenticeship programmes, funded by the Apprenticeship Levy.
“Our world is rapidly evolving, and job roles are adapting as new technology emerges. That's why it’s important for us as individuals and as a Society to prioritise skills development. By continuously learning, developing new skills, and pushing for better, we can deliver more value for our customers. Nationwide understands the importance of data literacy, where reporting and analysis can lead to better decision making and better outcomes for customers.”
Toni Wilbourne
Apprenticeships Lead, Nationwide
The results
Proactive data-led insight
Armed with new data skills, Nationwide employees are now applying what they’ve learnt to their day-to-day roles, spotting opportunities to save time and create new efficiencies.
Following the programme launch, 75% of line managers agreed these new skills would deliver business impact.
“Four members of my team have enrolled in the Data Academy - watching them develop their skills, use them to create impact and confidently tackle new challenges has been an amazing journey, and I've been proud to support them every step of the way."
Dee Mason
Senior Business Manager and Apprentice Line Manager, Nationwide
“Jeremy always pushes for better by reducing the time taken to produce reports through automation in Power BI. This puts the team in a very good position for getting a wide range of information very quickly and multiple Power BI reports are now being used daily.”
Kelvin Cates
Operations Manager (Lead), Nationwide
Driving business efficiency and removing bottlenecks
On average, learners already save around 1 hour a week, by applying their new skills in the workplace.
“By creating a dashboard that consolidates everything in one place, I saved each Product Owner approximately four hours a month, freeing them from time-consuming Jira queries.”
Kirsty Slade
PMO Analyst, Nationwide
Increasing productivity by eliminating manual processes
Robert’s story
Responsible for creating Nationwide’s payments agenda, Robert faced inefficiencies in handling data, often needing several days to gather and analyse information.
After enrolling on the Multiverse Data and Insights for Business Decisions programme, Robert gained skills in Power BI and advanced Excel functionalities. These tools helped him independently gather, analyse, and report data, transforming his approach to work by removing manual processes and streamlining data collection and management.
The new process saved 16 hours, reducing work from several days to just a few hours. It improved data accuracy, by allowing finance and procurement teams to focus on validating findings, rather than initial data collection.
Create an engaged, data-led workforce
A survey of programme participants found that 100% agreed the apprenticeship would help them progress towards their professional goals.
"Apprenticeships are key to connecting education with real-world application. Having been through an apprenticeship myself, I can personally attest to the value they offer in putting skills to work right away. At Nationwide, we really emphasise this hands-on learning approach because it not only nurtures talent but also sparks innovation within our teams."
James Domm
Head of Workplace Strategy & Transformation, Nationwide
100%
of learners agree programme will help them progress towards their professional goals
1 hour per week
Average time saved by learners on the programme so far
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