In 2015, Nesta reported on the state of digital skills in the UK in its study Analytic Britain. It made 14 recommendations about the skills pipeline from education to industry, including the creation of the Data Skills Taskforce. Data Skills for the Future, unveiled by Ray Eitel-Porter, managing director of Accenture Analytics and chair of the taskforce, at Nesta’s headquarters at an event sponsored by Accenture and Pearson, details the achievements and evidence of best practice in line with those recommendations.
The new report outlines some of the ways in which advances the provision of data skills in three areas have been made: schools and colleges, universities and vocational education, and the labour market and industry. Dr George Windsor, a senior policy researcher who was formerly at Nesta and is currently at TechCityUK, gave details of some of the areas of progress.
Schools and colleges
In relation to the recommendation to "develop data science relevant qualifications", the maths and statistics components of GCSE, AS and A-level geography qualifications has been increased. With regard to "‘improving information about analytical career prospects and role models in schools and colleges", techUK ran its Big Data Heroes campaign in February of this year.
Universities and vocational education
Since 2014, £40 million has been invested through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council in nine centres for doctoral training in data. The BSc Digital and Technology Solutions degree apprenticeship, which includes a data analyst specialism, designed by employers working together through The Tech Partnership, was introduced in 2015.
Labour market and industry
The "data and analytics awareness in business" recommendation is being addressed by the techUK’s "Understanding, demystifying and addressing the UK’s big data skills gap" report, as well as Gartner’s "Predicts 2016: Information strategy" report.
Windsor said that the Data Skills Taskforce has distilled and prioritised recommendations made in Analytic Britain and, as a result, has come up with three principles to work towards to develop data skills for the future. The first is to raise awareness of the value of data for UK businesses. “We know that there are a number of businesses doing great things, capitalising on data, but there are still a number of organisations who haven't really come round to the idea of using this data,” he said.
The second is to raise awareness of data science career opportunities for young people. “The long-term, large-scale impact is really to help schools and college change their approach to science and technology, equipping them with strategies to educate and inspire students,” explained the researcher.
The third is to develop links between government, businesses and educators. “To respond to the changing needs of companies in the UK, we must continue to be industry-led and highly collaborative. That means being grounded in the realities of a number of different types of business from micro-businesses to tech giants,” said Windsor.
The Data Skills Taskforce has three main aims which were explained by Eitel-Porter. They are: to act as a knowledge and best practice sharing forum across key participants from industry, higher education and schools; to continue to promote the importance of data and analytics skills across those three groups; and to monitor the progress of the recommendations made in the Analytic Britain report and highlight critical gaps. The latest report is in line with this final principle.
Eitel-Porter said challenges remain in getting the population to understand the opportunities provided by digital and data in particular and getting people actively to engage in the digital market and trust the new digital world that we are entering. To achieve that will require teachers and business leaders who can inspire and inform future generations and inform those who might feel left behind.
He concluded: “If the UK is to become a leader in the digital world, then data skills and know-how are central to that mission. Without data, there is no digital and we need people who are skilled in data and analytics to convert that data into value.”
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