One lucky data scientist just won a SAS Academy for Data Science licence worth R60 000 – and the opportunity to unlock new career opportunities through further study
Johannesburg, 11 June 2020 As the demand for qualified data scientists continues to grow both internationally and here in South Africa, the SAS Academy for Data Science offers interested people and organisations globally the chance to invest in education and develop their data science skills.
Recent research indicates that demand for data scientists is booming and is only likely to increase in the next decade as companies move towards digital transformation, and big data, machine learning and data analytics become entrenched in businesses globally. In fact, Algorithmia, in their 2020 State of Enterprise Machine Learning report, likened the need for data science to a “modern-day gold rush”, such is the increasing recognition of the importance of data science to businesses.
SAS is cognisant as the leading vendor in the analytics space that it takes particular skills to properly understand and utilise its analytics platforms and software at its full potential. The SAS Academy for Data Science plays an important role in promoting further learning and upskilling opportunities for both new-to-the-field data scientists and experienced individuals looking to further their skills in a fast-changing field.
The SAS Academy for Data Science started life as an in-person three-month intensive on-site programme at the SAS headquarters in America, but since 2018, to make the programme globally available, the courses have been re-engineered for online learning. Now, this comprehensive course has either a six-month or a 12-month completion window, with either four or two hours a week required respectively to complete the course. There are also free prerequisite courses available to for those who lack the relevant training or experience to dive straight into the Academy courses. “A lot of people are seeing the opportunities in building a career around data science, and the response to the online learning has been great,” says Adesh Nathalal, Education Manager at SAS.
Recognising the importance of keeping skills current and relevant, during the COVID-19 pandemic SAS CEO Jim Goodnight made the decision to make all the Academy courses free to access until the end of June 2020. In the first month alone, Africa saw an uptake from 400 interested individuals.
As part of its commitment to ongoing skills development for data and analytics professionals and interested parties, SAS is also running an ongoing webinar series that is presented at no charge to participants. At a recent webinar titled, “How SAS can assist data scientists overcome challenges compounded by remote working”, one lucky attendee was the recipient of a SAS Academy for Data Science licence to the value of R60 000. The licence encompasses three courses: Data Curation, Advanced Analytics and AI & Machine Learning, each normally costing R20 000 to attend, or R50 000 for those wishing to complete all three courses in a calendar year.
Shannon Starkey, a Senior Data Analyst working for eCommerce retailer NetFlorist, was the delighted recipient. “I found that the webinar was quite useful in providing practical and innovative ways of working more collaboratively with your colleagues when working remotely. I was the lucky draw winner of the full licence to the SAS Academy for Data Science programme! I am so excited to take my career to the next level with this in-depth training programme on Data Curation, Advanced Analytics and AI & Machine Learning. From my humble beginnings as a student of the SAS Graduate Programme in 2015, I look forward to growing my knowledge and skills set with SAS Analytics,” she said.
Visit the site to find out more about the SAS Academy for Data Science.
