Atkins Global, a world-leading design, engineering and project-management consultancy, will launch a range of data apprenticeships in its Transportation team, in a drive for skills.
More than 50 employees across the business will be enrolled onto one of three data apprenticeships, including up to degree level, delivered by the tech company Multiverse.
The 13-month Data Literacy programme covers the core technical skills required to transform data into insights, build narratives and present findings.
Meanwhile, the 15-month programme delivers best-in-class training in data analysis, data wrangling, and will give apprentices the skills to clean, analyse and model data, and tell data stories to non-specialists.
The degree-level Advanced Data Fellowship will train apprentices in areas like statistical testing, data ethics, predictive modelling and data security. At the end of the programme, apprentices receive a BSc (Hons) Digital and Technology Solutions (Data Analytics).
According to research by Accenture(opens new window), 74% of respondents reported feeling overwhelmed when working with data. This lack of confidence and skills costs UK businesses a staggering £10 billion a year in lost productivity.
Atkins’ investment into apprenticeships aims to improve quality, consistency, efficiency and performance across the business through the use of data. It also represents an investment in the company’s people: who will be empowered to grow their skills and take the next step on their career pathway through world-class training.
The initiative has been spearheaded by Peter Baynham, Strategic Highways Market Director, and Kelly Burdall, Transportation’s Digital Transformation Director.
Peter Baynham said “We are really excited to be launching a Data Academy in partnership with Multiverse, we want to build on our existing data culture in Transportation. As such that every employee intuitively makes the use of data and metrics to guide their decisions and project insights.”
Kelly Burdall said: “Data is too often thought of as the role of a specific function, whilst in reality, everyone touches it. But it's the confidence that individuals have when working with it, the insights they can derive from it, and the speed and correctness of actions they can take off the back of those insights that makes the difference to better project delivery, increased productivity and inevitably increased certainty for our clients and of course talent mobility for our people.”
Multiverse delivers world-class training in a wide range of qualifications in tech, data and engineering. Apprentices benefit from coaching with an industry expert and are supported by a thriving community with events, socials, mentoring and leadership programmes.
