Anaytics company SAS has expanded its industry-recognised certified training programme to address Australia and New Zealand’s critical dearth of skilled data scientists.
The SAS Academy for Data Science is about to launch in Australia and New Zealand, with its first intake of students embarking on an intensive programme of study on 29 August in Sydney.
The new academy will impart skills in big data management, advanced analytics, machine learning and data visualisation, along with the essential communications skills needed by today’s data scientists.
It comprises two distinct levels. First, Big Data Professional and second, Advanced Analytics Professional. Each level has six weeks of content including classroom and live Web instruction, hands-on case studies, team projects, coaching and related certification exams. On successful completion of the certification exams within both levels, students will earn the SAS Certified Data Scientist title.
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SAS has long offered such industry-recognised training. To-date, more than 100,000 credentials have been awarded to individuals in 77 countries. In Australia and New Zealand, certification rates are more than doubling year-on-year.
“SAS certified professionals are in high demand everywhere,” said Lynette Clunies-Ross, chief operating officer at SAS Australia and New Zealand. “There is a worldwide shortage of people with analytical skills and the market here is no exception. Moreover, the problem will intensify as the Internet-of-Things accelerates the rate at which new data is generated. Decision makers in every sector who are increasingly challenged to exploit their data for valuable insights are hampered by a shortage of talented analytics professionals and data scientists.”
Clunies-Ross added, “Our well-known leadership in business analytics is such that people with SAS certification very quickly find themselves well paid and rewarding jobs.”
Since 1998 and in conjunction with SAS’ placement initiatives, such as the SAS work placement programme which has run annually since 2005, SAS-credentialled professionals have quickly found gainful positions with leading New Zealand and Australian financial institutions, government agencies, services companies, the media, not-for-profit organisations and others.
In addition to the new SAS Academy for Data Science and the standalone certification training modules available at SAS Australia and New Zealand, the company also addresses the analytics and related skills shortages in partnership with many of the region’s top tertiary educational institutions.
These include a joint certificate programme with the Melbourne Business School — the graduate business school of the University of Melbourne — which offers a SAS-supported Master of Business Analytics degree. Similar alliances are in place with New Zealand’s Massey University and the University of South Australia, amongst others.