Northern universities launch data analytics course

University of Central Lancashire and the University of Leeds are partnering with Tableau Software to pilot a hands-on training course in data analytics for their students and professors. The one day course aims to raise awareness about the use of data analytics and help staff and students close the gap when it comes to data skills amongst UK graduates and today’s increasingly competitive workplace.

Despite LinkedIn ranking “statistical analysis and data mining” as the number one skill to get you hired in Britain today, research from Tableau suggests UK graduates significantly underestimate the importance of data analytics skills to their future employment prospects.

The programme began at Cranfield University this month and will take place at the University of Central Lancashire and University of Leeds later this year. These universities all participate in Tableau’s flagship Tableau Academic programme which provides free Tableau Desktop licenses and technical support to students and teachers to help them see and understand their data.

Dr. Uyioghosa Igie, a lecturer in the School of Aerospace, Transport, and Manufacturing at Cranfield University said, “I’ve already seen the positive impact of using data visualisation software in my classes and wanted to bring this experience to more students and professors. Data is everywhere today and our research graduates go on to work in diverse professions that will require the ability to quickly analyze large amounts of it. Learning these skills will be absolutely critical to their professional success.”

“Data analytics skills are no longer a nice to have in today’s workplace, but a must,” said James Eiloart, Senior Vice President, EMEA at Tableau. “By working closely with UK universities to raise awareness of data analytics skills and giving hands on training, we are helping to close the skills gap that exists between today’s graduates and the workplace – but we see this is just the beginning.”

More than 42,000 companies and organisations around the world use Tableau for fast, visual analytics. Customers in Europe range from startups and growing businesses to multinationals, including EasyJet, Lufthansa, Asda, Ebay, Skanksa UK and Cheapflights.com.