We’re investing in a coordinated nationwide approach to training for the UK’s longitudinal research community – signposting existing offers and creating new content to support researchers and study teams across the pipeline. This work will transform today’s dispersed training landscape with a connected, accessible pathway for the sector.
Led by CLOSER and backed by over £950K in funding from Population Research UK (PRUK), this initiative is a key part of our plan to strengthen skills and capacity across UK longitudinal research.
Why is this needed?
The UK’s Longitudinal Population Studies (LPS) generate world-leading data that underpins research into health, social, and economic change.
However, the training landscape that enables researchers, analysts, and infrastructure staff to use these rich resources is dispersed, inconsistently signposted, and often difficult for researchers to navigate.
While individual providers offer valuable courses, there is currently no coordinated, central resource for identifying available training, assessing emerging needs, and developing new provision in response to the rapidly evolving data environment.
This project aims to improve the landscape by creating a coordinated UK LPS training resource that serves as a trusted reference point for all learner groups – professional researchers, doctoral candidates, master’s students, and infrastructure staff.
By combining a rigorous scoping review, a clearly signposted catalogue of training providers, a sector-wide consultation, and the creation of targeted new training courses, CLOSER will provide a stronger foundation for skills development throughout the research pipeline.
We spoke with Neil Kaye, CLOSER’s Head of Education and Training, about how this work will reshape training in the future.
Neil, how will this project ensure that LPS training is strategically coordinated, responsive to emerging priorities, and inclusive of diverse research perspectives?
The key to our approach is its strategic coordination. Instead of relying on individual providers to promote their offerings in isolation, we will centralise information in a way that is accessible and easy to navigate.
The integration of a user-led consultation will ensure that training responds to current priorities shaped by recent developments, including the COVID pandemic, advances in AI, and shifts in government policy.
We will go further by filling persistent gaps in provision (e.g. data management, metadata, data disclosure, advanced longitudinal analysis, and train-the-trainer materials) with new resources designed for different skill levels.
These will include a range of topics and leverage the expertise, knowledge and experience of key stakeholders across the LPS landscape. By incorporating a range of perspectives, we will enhance the quality and applicability of training, ensuring it meets the diverse needs of researchers across social, biomedical, and interdisciplinary domains.
What makes this initiative different from existing LPS training efforts, and how will it address current gaps?
This will be the first coordinated, UK-wide approach dedicated to the full cycle of LPS training – identifying existing provision, consulting on needs, developing new targeted resources, and embedding outputs in a sustainable, connected pathway.
Our combination of mapping provision, strategically targeting gaps, and integrating innovative pedagogical perspectives into technical training offers a novel approach that goes beyond existing initiatives.
This project will advance current practice by replacing a dispersed training environment with a coordinated, needs-driven, and strategically enhanced resource.
It will strengthen the UK’s capacity to exploit the full value of its longitudinal data assets, ensuring that skills development keeps pace with evolving landscapes and diverse needs.
This project is starting now and has a duration of 36 months. What are the key steps during this initiative, and what can we expect next?
We’ve designed this initiative as a phased programme to ensure impact from the very start. Here’s what’s coming:
- Scoping review – We’ll begin by producing a comprehensive, criteria-based review of existing UK training relevant to LPS data science, aligned with training pathways.
- Training catalogue – Next, we’ll launch a curated catalogue of existing UK training resources via the CLOSER Learning Hub. This will provide a single point of access for users, improve discoverability, and strengthen connections between providers through reciprocal signposting.
- User consultation & needs mapping – We’ll engage the sector to update our understanding of training needs and identify emerging skill requirements.
- Commissioning & delivery of new training – We’ll commission and deliver high-quality resources to address priority skills gaps. Phase 1 will focus on long-established priorities identified in previous reviews, while Phase 2 will respond to new needs identified through consultation.
- Specialist training perspectives – Finally, we’ll enhance the quality and interdisciplinary value of LPS training by incorporating a range of perspectives, supported by a dedicated graduate Research Assistant post.
Together, these steps will create a sustainable, connected training pathway that meets the evolving needs of the LPS community.
Closing thoughts
This initiative marks a significant step toward achieving PRUK’s delivery plan objectives – strengthening skills and building capacity across the UK’s longitudinal research community.
It also reflects what we heard during our stakeholder consultation about supporting the community to navigate a complex training landscape. This activity is a direct response to those requests, ensuring the LPS community’s priorities shape the way forward.
“This work is central to what Population Research UK aims to achieve in our delivery plan. By helping to build up and facilitate a coordinated training pathway, we’re building capacity and strengthening skills across the LPS community.”
Nic Timpson, Population Research UK Co-Director
As this work progresses, we look forward to sharing updates and inviting the community to engage with new resources as they become available helping us shape a stronger, more connected future for longitudinal research.
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About CLOSER
CLOSER, the home of longitudinal research, is the interdisciplinary partnership of leading social and biomedical longitudinal population studies based at the UCL Social Research Institute. CLOSER’s mission is to increase the visibility, use and impact of longitudinal population studies, data and research to ensure that longitudinal evidence is used to address the health, social, economic and environmental challenges facing the UK, now and in the future.
About Neil Kaye
Neil Kaye conducts research using longitudinal population studies, with interests in social inequalities, education policy, youth transitions, and the impact of multiple discrimination, with a focus on quantitative methodologies and social statistics. He leads the team in charge of running workshops and creating resources to increase the visibility and use of the UK cohort and longitudinal population studies.
About our funding models
At Population Research UK, we’re committed to supporting a more interconnected data landscape, where users of LPS benefit from a seamless journey.
To achieve this, our delivery plan uses three complementary funding models: PRUK Hub to centrally deliver community engagement and advocacy; open calls to invite competitive applications where specialist delivery is needed; and partner-led funding applied where our UKRI partners – CLOSER and UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration – are best placed to deliver activity, building on existing UKRI supported infrastructure and avoiding duplication.
The UK LPS training resources coordination project falls under the partner-led funding model, leveraging CLOSER’s expertise and established networks to deliver a sustainable, sector-wide solution.
