Building a strong analytical community in the Midlands
The Midlands Analysts Network was established in March 2023 as a cross-government group aimed at facilitating networking, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing among analysts in the Midlands. 
Our network has grown steadily since 2023, bringing together over 200 analysts from 26 government departments, agencies, and arm’s length bodies across the Midlands.
By connecting analysts from a mix of backgrounds and professions, we’re able to boost cross-government collaboration, inspire future career growth, and build an identity as government analysts. Whether you’re just starting out or have years of experience, this network is a place to find development opportunities, gain insight into other departments, and make new connections with people face-to-face.
We run quarterly events which feature a range of activities including career talks, work ‘show & tells’, networking sessions, teach-ins, and discussions. Each event typically includes speakers from a variety of departments and is followed by a social. Alongside these events, we have set up:
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- a cross-government Coffee Connect for analysts based in the Midlands
- a newsletter to share information about Midlands analysts, local events and workshops, and regional job opportunities
- regular socials such as lunch-time walks and after-work board games
- a cross-government Teams group to enable more effective networking for analysts in the Midlands
We are also looking at organising workshops and study groups to upskill Midlands analysts, and are coordinating with outreach groups in the region across departments and professions to determine where we can best support.
New connections, new knowledge
On Wednesday 4th June, the Midlands Analysts Network gathered in Birmingham for their regular quarterly event, where analysts share their work and network in a cross-government setting. This was the second event of 2025, with a packed agenda and attended by around 30 analysts from all analytical professions across the Midlands.
We enjoyed presentations across a range of topics, from Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on communicating uncertainty in the Family Resources Survey, to Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) on analysis of the use of data and evidence in Ministerial submissions, and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) on identifying outliers in data to better target inspections of police forces. There were many questions, and we all left with a broader understanding of the methodologies, as well as the impact of statistical work across the region.
It was also a great opportunity to connect with analytical colleagues in the Midlands and learn about the variety of analysis going on here. A lunch social beforehand (and post-work pub trip afterwards) encouraged further networking and more informal discussions between analysts from different departments. I met new colleagues from departments I know very little about, and due to the new networking opportunities offered by the network I can easily get back in touch in future.
How to get involved
If you are interested in joining a community of government analysts in the midlands, please sign up to our mailing list through our form. Our next quarterly event will be on Thursday 16 October in Birmingham, and we encourage anyone interested to come along and see what it’s like. In addition to our main agenda, there will be opportunities to network, share experiences, and build connections with other analysts from across the Midlands.
We’re also always looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help drive our projects forward and bring fresh ideas to the network. If you’d like more information on the network or would like to take a more active role in one of our projects, please get in touch with Holly Luke.
Holly Luke, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology