Winner of MRS Advanced Certificate in Market and Social Research Practice Award announced
02 June 2025

Zoe Green, the 2025 winner of MRS Advanced Certificate in Market and Social Research Practice Award, shares her personal journey through the Level 4 Market Research Executive apprenticeship and the MRS Advanced Certificate in Market. Currently a Research Analyst at NCFE, she highlights how both have supported her development and opened up new opportunities—showing the real value of formal training and qualifications in building confidence and progressing your career:

I work in the Research and Insight team at the educational charity and awarding organisation NCFE. My interest in undertaking an apprenticeship started during National Apprenticeship Week in 2023 where I found out about the option of doing an apprenticeship whilst working in my current role. The Level 4 Market Research Executive apprenticeship captured my interest as the syllabus aligned with a lot of the knowledge and skills that I wanted to develop to help me progress in my role and as part of the team. The apprenticeship was a great opportunity for me to learn alongside my full-time job and helped put the knowledge and skills into practice, being able to apply what I was learning in my day-to-day role at work.

After completing the apprenticeship, the MRS Advanced Certificate felt like the natural next step for my professional development and recognition. It built upon my apprenticeship learnings and added further depth to some of the topics covered as well as learning some new skills and exploring new concepts too. The apprenticeship and the qualification together have really helped me to develop my skills, to think differently and to become more confident taking on new projects.

I was delighted to find out that I won the MRS Advanced Certificate in Market and Social Research Practice Award. I am really proud to receive recognition of the hard work and achieving a Distinction. I am so grateful to the support I received from my tutor, my colleagues at work and the MRS for the opportunities it has provided.

My learning journey over the last couple of years has been so valuable to my role and future career, and I hope that it will encourage others to explore how an apprenticeship or higher-level qualification could benefit them.

Zoe’s story shows how combining practical experience with recognised qualifications can make a real difference. For anyone looking to grow their career in research, the MRS Advanced Certificate in Market and Social research could be the right next step for you. Find out more here.