The University of Worcester has successfully implemented the Qlik Academic Programme to help prepare students for the future of work, in which every employee will require data literacy skills to meet growing business demand.
Looking to continue its legacy of offering one of the best graduate employment rates among UK universities, the decision to introduce the programme was made by Richard Wilkinson, a Senior Lecturer in Computing at the University of Worcester. This was in response to the explosive growth of Big Data and an increasing recognition of its value, creating a huge demand for employees that are capable of reading, understanding, questioning and analysing data.
This is a key challenge the government has outlined that needs to be addressed in its new National Data Strategy, citing that demand for data skills has more than tripled since 2013, and acknowledging the importance of improving access to data skills education at tertiary education facilities.
The Qlik Academic Programme works to address this education gap by providing universities and researchers with free Qlik software and resources to help educate and train the next generation of experts leading with data. Through hands-on experience with industry leading commercial software, the Qlik Academic Programme has allowed University of Worcester students to go beyond theory and develop workplace-ready skills through opportunities to analyse real-world information, discover patterns, make connections and bring the findings to life.
