Preparing the next generation of data scientists and business analysts

Long-term partnership extended in 2022

94%

enrolments yearly growth rate

Across Australia, there is a growing demand for skilled data scientists, business analysts and analytics professionals. Addressing this skills gap has long been a key pillar of SAS’ relationship with academic institutions and the role as a connector between universities, the brightest academic talent, and businesses.

One such relationship has been with La Trobe University, who has worked with SAS since 2007. In 2019, both organisations announced a partnership whereby La Trobe’s students studying the Master of Business Analytics would qualify for SAS certifications.

This partnership was extended further in 2022, to encompass the University’s Master of Business Information Systems program and to adopt a SAS Academic Specialisation in Business Analytics. The courses were developed with industry experts to equip students with the skills they need to tackle today’s analytical challenges, with La Trobe using SAS software for teaching undergraduate and postgraduate programs within the La Trobe Business School.

Using industry leading tools in these post-graduate programs ensures students are well prepared to quickly engage with the analytical challenges they will face in their business activities. Professor Aron O’Cass La Trobe University

Powering tangible career outcomes

For students studying the Master of Business Analytics and Master of Business Information Systems, they use SAS platforms to tackle challenging problems and to explore and generate business insights.

The Master of Business Analytics program empowers students with courses in specialties including the business application of analytics, as well as building students’ skills in artificial intelligence (AI). The course explores how AI applies in theory, as well as in business settings, while also navigating the ethical and governance considerations that are central to today’s usage of AI.

To date more than 10 cohorts of domestic and international students have successfully completed the Master of Business Analytics and the Master of Business Information Systems, upskilling more than a thousand STEM talents as they prepare to take the next steps in their career. Underlining the success of the programs, has been the yearly growth rate of 94% in enrolments, as students from across Victoria, Australia and internationally have taken up the courses.

For La Trobe University Professor Aron O’Cass, the courses are ideal for preparing students with the hands-on experience they’ll need post-study.

"Empowering our Master of Business Analytics students with a robust blend of cutting-edge skills and strategic insights, we cultivate future leaders who not only navigate the complexities of data but also transform it into a powerful asset for informed decision-making and business success."

As part of these courses, education isn’t confined to simply the classroom. Analytics plays a key role in La Trobe’s hands-on research initiatives and the University’s Centre for Data Analytics and Cognition (CDAC) is developing industry-leading research into AI and analytics as it tackles areas such as electric vehicle research and using AI-powered platforms to monitor energy consumption.

The role of teaching and empowering the next generation of data scientists requires a holistic approach, combining flexibility with in-class and remote classes so students can balance work, life and study, while giving graduates hands-on access to the technologies and real-world problems they’ll tackle post-study.

About La Trobe University

For more than 50 years, La Trobe University has been transforming people and societies. The University works collaboratively across disciplines and with partners to develop fresh ways of thinking and conducting research – constantly seeking new ways to engage with and better serve its partners and communities, to build relationships and develop solutions for the issues facing society. Ranked in the top one percent of universities worldwide,¹ La Trobe is firmly positioned in the top 400 of all three major world university rankings. In 2021, the respected Times Higher Education World Ranking placed La Trobe at 218 globally,² marking the second year running the University has been named in the world’s top 250.

^1. Times Higher Education (THE), 2021, World University Rankings 2022; Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 2020, Ranking Web of Universities.
^2. Times Higher Education (THE), 2021, World University Rankings 2022.

Read more about La Trobe University here: https://www.latrobe.edu.au/

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The results illustrated in this article are specific to the particular situations, business models, data input, and computing environments described herein. Each SAS customer’s experience is unique based on business and technical variables and all statements must be considered non-typical. Actual savings, results, and performance characteristics will vary depending on individual customer configurations and conditions. SAS does not guarantee or represent that every customer will achieve similar results. The only warranties for SAS products and services are those that are set forth in the express warranty statements in the written agreement for such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. Customers have shared their successes with SAS as part of an agreed-upon contractual exchange or project success summarization following a successful implementation of SAS software. Brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies.

Preparing the next generation of data scientists and business analysts

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