Industry and Educational Trends and Insights in Data Analytics Walter Martin Dean, Business & Public Services Technologies Division Tanya Scott Director, Business Analytics Department Assoc. Dean, Business & Public Services Technologies Division

Wake Technical Community College RALEIGH, NC Largest community college in NC 70,000+ students County population: 1 million and growing The college is 52 years old.

Beltline Education Center Northern Wake Campus Eastern Wake Education Center Perry Health Sciences Campus Public Safety Education Campus Western Wake Campus Main Campus RTP Campus (Opening 2017)

AAS Business Analytics: DOLTAA TAACCCT Round 2 Grantee TAACCCT (Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training) Program Partnership between the Department of Labor and the Department of Education Received award October 2012; offered our first course January 2013 Focus: employability in analytics fields

Source: United States Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration:

AAS Business Analytics: Our Journey No other AAS program or the like to benchmark: Traditionally offered at the graduate level Traditionally statistics and/or IT-Database tracked Employability in a field that typically hires individuals with at least a Bachelor degree, usually a graduate degree Program is open enrollment and requires little to no prerequisites (developmental math and English). Online/hybrid most popular. Accelerated online most popular. Difficult to find qualified faculty (at our salary range). Lack of industry consensus “what is analytics”

What is Data Analytics? 30,000 ft definition: using data to draw conclusions- making inferences from available information Other related terms: big data, data mining, business intelligence (BI), data science, data economy, high velocity data, live data, the internet of things (IoT), visual analytics, data intelligence

Common Skills & Competencies Lack of consensus in the industry about a common set of skills and competencies. Generally fall under three main groups: Analytical/quantitative; Technical; and ‘Soft’ skills

Analytical/Quantitative Skills Range across a basic quantitative understanding and knowledge of statistics to machine learning and modeling (descriptive, predictive, prescriptive). Data literacy Critical thinking and reasoning Intellectual curiousity

Technical Skills Computer skills ranging from spreadsheets, GUI point-and-click tools, to programming languages (SAS, R, Python, SQL, etc). Comfortable working with structured and unstructured data Generate reports and appropriate visuals

Soft Skills Communicate the problem, the process, and the final results orally and in written format appropriate to the receiving audience Collaboration Life long learning Driven, persistent, and likes to solve problems Strong ethical base and professional integrity Business acumen

Example Curriculum at the undergraduate level AAS Business Analytics

AAS Program Outcomes Statistical and Analytic Theory, Best Practices, and Analysis Data Mining and Warehouse Predictive Modeling Project and Operations Management Analytics Tools and Techniques Gen Ed Competencies Employability or Soft Skills

AAS Business Analytics: 9 Core Courses BAS 120: Introduction to Analytics Explain the analytical process and the role of the analyst. Utilize applied descriptive statistics to make basic business decisions. Utilize exploratory data analysis to make basic business decisions. BAS 121: Data Visualization Utilize concepts and methods in the graphical representation of data Utilize concepts and methods in the exploration and reporting of data Conduct basic linear regression methods Apply data visualization concepts to communicate insights about data.

AAS Business Analytics: 9 Core Courses BAS 150 Introduction to Analytical Programming Utilize statistical programming tools to conduct descriptive analytics. BAS 220 Applied Analytical Programming Process data utilizing appropriate pre-processing practices Apply linear and logistic regression using programming tools Generate reports that support business decision-making

AAS Business Analytics: 9 Core Courses BAS 221 Introduction to Predictive Analytics Build and validate predictive models for classification tasks. Build and validate predictive models for regression tasks. BAS 230 Applied Predictive Modeling Apply classification models to guide decisions. Apply regression models to guide decisions.

AAS Business Analytics: 9 Core Courses BAS 250 Analytical Tools and Methods Analyze complex data, including semi-structured and unstructured data, using analytical tools and methods. BAS 270 Advanced Analytical Tools and Methods Apply analytical methods and best practices in a simulated business setting.

AAS Business Analytics: Technology Used Alteryx Tableau SAS Programming SAS Enterprise R Python

Other Educational Opportunities Some 4-year programs Several graduate level programs Continuing education and vendor training Certification training (vendor related) Free MOOC based programs Open-source community & Self-learning

Potential Careers No one job description as there is no consensus or standardization in the industry Better approach is to review competencies in job descriptions Possible titles include: *Analyst (data, business, business intelligence, predictive, sales, marketing, etc.) Solution Manager Project Manager Data Analytics Specialist Competitive Intelligence Strategist

Thank you! Contact Information: Tanya Walter

“This workforce solution was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. The solution was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership.” Except where otherwise stated, this work by Wake Technical Community College Building Capacity in Business Analytics, a Department of Labor, TAACCCT funded project, is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit