In 2021, we saw a gap in the market: education that leads to better career outcomes. At the same time, we saw the growing demand for data analytics skills. Fast forward to 2023, and the demand hasn’t let up – data analytics is the number one emerging career, with job opportunities expected to increase by 25% in the next eight years – far above the 5% average.

Closing the gap with the LSE Data Analytics Career Accelerator

Driven to provide better career results for learners, we partnered with The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) to launch our first accelerator programme, the LSE Data Analytics Career Accelerator. It’s an industry-aligned programme that pairs the best minds in academia with the expertise of business and technology leaders. This unique approach to education has helped many of our learners change careers and get impactful results within their work.

“We’re driven to close the skills gap by combining the rigour and relevance of LSE teaching with applied, job-ready skills. By collaborating with industry leaders and employers, we not only integrate industry insight and experience into coursework but ensure our programme outcomes align with expectations of work-ready abilities and help professionals develop in-demand skills,” said Professor Wim A Van der Stede, Dean for LSE Extended Education.

When we started to look for an industry partner – so that our learners could get the technical skills and practical experience that employers look for – Tableau was a natural choice.

Tableau is a world-leading analytics program, and partnering with them enabled us to give our learners first-hand experience with a tool they’ll use working in the industry.

 “Consistently and increasingly, industry is telling us they’re looking for data analysts who have demonstrable, practical skill sets, and Tableau is one of the platforms where they’re looking for candidates with strong capabilities,” says Lauren Smirfitt, our Head of Product Strategy.

A look at Tableau in the programme

During orientation, our learners are guided through the Tableau Desktop set-up to ensure they’re comfortable with the environment before the programme begins. They later spend a full week learning about data visualisation, where they’re taught how to create visualisations for exploratory analysis and for presenting insights to teams and business leaders.

To put these skills into practice, learners examine data sets and develop business recommendations based on their insights. They can access Tableau reference documents, online Community Forums, and other resources to help guide their approach and learning.

These learners changed their careers

So far, we’ve seen great career results for many of our LSE Career Accelerator learners. Coming from a range of backgrounds – including marketing, business management, healthcare logistics, and teaching – many have completely pivoted their careers and moved into data analytics. Others have been promoted to senior data positions with bigger salaries.

Elodie, a high school science teacher for 16 years, pivoted into data and began her new role as a Business Intelligence Analyst after completing the programme. 

Similarly, after working as an economist in government civil service for ten years, Hussein discovered how he could reinvent himself and his career options through the LSE Career Accelerator. Megan, Haroon and Ash also experienced positive career results after completing the programme, including changing roles, becoming more efficient at work and presenting themselves more confidently to employers.

Reflecting on this, Ryan Rushton, our Strategic Partnerships Director, shares: “Many participants have gone on to achieve the career goals they set with a Career Coach during the programme – some even before they finished their studies. Their stories are one important way for us to determine whether we’re meeting our students’ expectations in helping them achieve their career goals.”

Take the next step in your data analytics career

If you’re interested in learning more about the LSE Data Analytics Career Accelerator and our collaboration with Tableau and other industry leaders, we’d love to talk to you. 

Book a call with one of our Enrolment Advisors here. Our goal is to get an idea of where you’re currently at in your career and what your future aspirations are to ensure this programme is a good fit for you. If it isn’t, we’ll tell you. We also believe a quick chat with a human is the best way to get all the information you personally need to make the right decision.

If you’d like to find out more about the Career Accelerator before booking a call, you can download a program brochure here.

A version of this article was originally published by Tableau here.