Proficiency in data analytics is no longer just for techies. Here’s how Lighthouse Labs is training a new generation of workers to use and analyze data.
Running a successful business in today’s economic climate means knowing how to use data to your advantage. The largest companies in the world use data analysis to optimize their bottom line and improve customer experience, and in a post-covid world, the importance of digital interactions with customers is only accelerating. Today’s digital marketplace presents abundant opportunities for companies of all sizes to benefit from data-driven insights—and for workers to leverage data skills to their advantage.
Data skills: A powerful skill set for all business professionals
Knowing how to work with data is not just for those with “data analytics” in their job title anymore. Identifying relevant data, analyzing it, and communicating important insights to coworkers is a lucrative skill set for professionals in any company with a digital footprint. Whether full-fledged data professionals or not, workers who add data skills to their portfolio increase their employability and negotiating power.
If data skills are so lucrative, why aren’t they more common in the workforce? Intimidation is a key stumbling block for many professionals. Lighthouse Labs, a leading provider of professional tech education services founded by software developers, created a variety of upskilling courses in data analytics to accommodate absolute beginners in the field—even those who wouldn’t consider themselves great at math. The courses are approachable ways of understanding how to use and manipulate data, teaching students how to think like a data analyst. To top it off, 87% of job seekers who graduate from these programs get hired within 180 days.
Data analytics is crucial for sales and human resources professionals
Data skills are in demand across a wide range of industries, but they’ve emerged as a focal point for sales and human resources. In response, Lighthouse Labs developed three data analytics courses aimed specifically at professionals in these fields—or those who wish to enter them with an enhanced resume. The courses cover specific topics including data collection, data cleaning, data analysis and data visualization. In addition to these courses, they offer a separate course called Introduction to Data Analytics, which has a more general focus.
With the pandemic-fuelled digital economy, sales professionals have to know how to turn data insights to actionable insights that inform their decisions. The Data Analytics for Sales Leadership course, which results in a Canadian Professional Sales Association (CPSA) credit (for existing CPSA members), covers everything from collecting and analyzing to presenting sales data to inform forecasting, pipeline management, and sales rep performance, among other areas.
In HR, data analytics and data science as a whole, are routinely cited as one of the field’s most in-demand skillsets. Using data to stay on top of employee engagement and attrition, workforce planning, and forecasting enables HR professionals to make decisions and advise senior leadership in a grounded, evidence-based manner. Lighthouse Labs’ People Analytics course is tailored to HR workers looking to upskill and compete in today’s economy. Designed in conjunction with the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (CPHR), the course includes a credit for CPHR members.
Since data and technology skills are broadly applicable, it can be hard to figure out where to start. Lighthouse Labs offers a range of courses in data analytics and web development with delivery options ranging from part-time to bootcamp style. If you’re unsure which program is right for your interests and career objectives, take the skills gap quiz. It’s designed to take your goals and availability into account to recommend the right Lighthouse Labs program for you.
