Data skills for use in big data and analysis are in demand, says one provider. Record employer demand for skills in statistical analysis and data mining has seen applications to SAS’s Global Certification programme double in the last three years, with over 100,000 successful students achieving their certification, it says. The programme is designed to validate knowledge in SAS and data analytics.
LinkedIn’s analysis of the Global Top Skills of 2016 revealed that statistical analysis and data mining was the second most demanded skill globally by employers last year. In many countries, including the UK and the Netherlands, it was ranked top.
Launched in 1999 to validate SAS skills and knowledge, the SAS Global Certification programme has seen certifications double in just three and a half years. SAS issued the 100,000th credential in July. More than half of credentials have been awarded in 107 countries outside the US.
Dr. Yu-Wang Chen, Senior Lecturer in Decision Sciences at the University of Manchester, said: “As part of our MSc Business Analytics course we run a core module on Data Analytics using SAS software. We’ve had very positive feedback in the past couple of years as to how valuable this is given the current job market and the variety of data mining techniques taught. In fact, in the previous academic year 2015/16, the course achieved a PTES (Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey - the only UK higher education sector-wide survey for postgraduate students) overall satisfaction score of 97%, which is almost unprecedented and compares to a Manchester University average of 83%.”