Tag: Reimagined Education

Making a career change (or stepping up in your current role) can feel overwhelming–especially if you’re balancing work, family, and the pressure to stay employable in a fast-moving UK job market.

It’s no surprise that confidence in traditional education-to-career pathways has been shaky. The Strada-Gallup Education survey found that only around one-third of students felt they had the skills and knowledge to succeed at work, and only about half trusted their studies would lead to a good job.

If you’re looking for a more career-focused route, a Career Accelerator programme can be a practical alternative. Explore the Career Accelerator options today. 

What is a Career Accelerator?

What is a Career Accelerator?

A Career Accelerator (or Career Accelerator programme) is a structured, career-focused learning experience designed to build job-relevant skills and apply them in real-world contexts. Unlike self-paced courses, it combines technical development with practical projects, coaching and accountability.

It is typically designed for working professionals and career changers who want a clearer, more direct route from learning to career outcomes.

What you can expect from a Career Accelerator

• An industry-informed curriculum that reflects current employer expectations
• Applied assignments culminating in a capstone Employer Project set by an industry partner
• Structured support, with a dedicated Success Manager, 1:1 career coaching and scheduled check-ins to maintain momentum
• A peer network and learning community
• A recognised certificate or credential on completion (details vary by programme)

Career Accelerator vs bootcamp vs master’s

Note: Always check the programme page for exact duration, weekly time, and project structure.

Are Career Accelerators worth it?

A Career Accelerator can be a good fit if you want a clear, supported way to build practical skills and can commit steady time each week.

Worth considering if you want:

• A structured pathway rather than piecing it together through self-study
• Accountability to stay on track and maintain momentum
• Applied work you can speak to confidently in interviews, including a portfolio of evidence
• Career support alongside your technical learning
•  

Not ideal if:

• You can’t commit weekly time for the duration of the programme
• You want a purely academic route with minimal applied work
• You need a full-time immersive bootcamp experience

If outcomes and accountability matter to you, review the Career Milestone Guarantee.

10 ways a Career Accelerator can set you up for a successful digital skills career

Programme details vary. See the programme page for current structure and time requirements.

1) Content is co-designed by academic and industry experts

A strong Career Accelerator programme balances academic rigour with real-world relevance. The best programmes are shaped by people who understand both: educators who know how to teach, and industry practitioners who know what employers actually need.

The input from industry professionals also ensures that you don’t only learn the technical skills you need to succeed in the workplace. You’ll also learn more about how to apply business thinking and develop the right human skills to be an effective team member.

If you’re exploring your options, start with the programme hub for a full overview, then compare each pathway to see how the curriculum focus differs.

2) You apply what you learn to practical challenges

Learning sticks when you use it.Case studies, assignments and a capstone-style project turn theory into workplace-ready capability. Employers look for evidence you can use what you know.

Across the three courses and final Employer Project, you will hear from industry practitioners applying these skills in their day jobs. You can ask questions, seek feedback and work on challenges that reflect real organisational problems. The focus is on practice, not just principle.

When choosing between pathways, focus on the kind of work you want to be doing next:

• Product Management
• UX & UI Product Design
• Digital Marketing

3) Built-in support helps you stay on track

Consistency is often the hardest part for working professionals. A Career Accelerator addresses that by building in structure and support from the outset.

Before the programme begins, you are matched with a dedicated Success Manager who becomes your primary point of contact throughout.

4) Coaching can help you plan for long-term career success

As well as having a Success Manager, every Career Accelerator learner has the opportunity to meet one-on-one with a Career Coach. They work with you on a personal level to help you think about what you want to get out of your career, both now and in the future. They’ll help you devise a plan to achieve these goals to help you really maximise your time during the six-month programme.

You can choose how you use your time with your coach and the cadence of your meetings. Some learners prefer to spend more time in the beginning planning how they’re going to tackle their studies, while others prefer to dive into the content and really take advantage of the guidance their coach can provide further down the line when they start actively planning their next career move.

Career Coaches have the knowledge and experience to help with a range of challenges, including goal-setting, addressing burnout and self-doubt issues, constructing stand-out CVs and preparing for interviews, amongst others.

Beyond learning the skills, you need a plan: what roles you’re targeting, how you’ll position your experience, and what evidence you’ll use to prove capability. Coaching can help you turn “I’m learning” into “I’m ready”.

If your goal is to move into leadership, you may want to explore an executive-focused pathway such as AI Leadership.

5) You can earn a recognised certificate/credential

Upon completion of the Career Accelerator, you’ll receive a certificate of completion from the university you’ve studied with to recognise your achievements – something that is highly valued by employers.

Explore all of the various Career Accelerator programmes, and start your journey today!

6) You build evidence you can use in interviews

Everything you work on during the Career Accelerator is linked to a practical example. This is to ensure that you can apply what you learn to a situation you might face in the workplace.

While the structure varies across programmes, the assignments you complete during the coursework are designed to be demonstrable examples of the skills you’ve picked up. The Employer Project, which acts as the capstone for some programmes, gives you the chance to build a business case that is relevant to a real company facing a real challenge. At the end of the six-month programme, you will have a bank of evidence that you can use to impress interviewers if you’re looking for a new job or your current employer if you’re going for a promotion.

Employers look for proof: how you think, how you solve problems and how you communicate. A Career Accelerator can help you build that evidence, from assignments to project work, which you can draw on in interviews or performance reviews.

If you’re building towards a data-focused role, compare:

• Data Analytics
• Data Science

7) You learn alongside peers and expand your network

While the programme is hosted online and most of the learning takes place asynchronously, we’ve built in regular opportunities for you to engage with the people you’re learning from. Live lectures happen weekly, and there are regular masterclasses that take place whereby experts give presentations and discussion follows. Working on projects, such as the Employer Project, will also give you the chance to interact with experts in the field, ask questions, pitch your ideas and receive feedback.

Career transitions often happen faster when you’re surrounded by people doing the same thing. Peer learning can sharpen your thinking, expose you to different industries, and keep your motivation high.

8) Career accelerators are designed to fit around your work and life

Deciding to undertake further studies while already managing other life responsibilities, like working a full-time job or looking after a family, can be a big commitment. Our Career Accelerators require between 12 and 18 hours of dedicated study time per week. 

Most of the learning you do is asynchronous, which means you can fit these hours in when it suits you best. To ensure that you get important face-to-face time with the people you’re learning from, there are designated live lecture slots every week that you can attend, often taking place over lunchtime or after hours to be as inclusive as possible. If you’re unable to make a session, everything is recorded.

A part-time online format can make it possible to upskill without stepping away from income or responsibilities. Just make sure you’re realistic about weekly time and check the programme page for the current expectations.

Start at the hub to compare time commitments

9) Payment options can make it more accessible

Cost matters, and so does predictability. Many programmes offer different ways to pay, and some learners explore employer support. 

Not everyone’s financial situation looks the same, so there are several options to pay the Career Accelerator tuition fees. 

• Upfront payment of the full fee
  
  
• Six-month payment plan with no added fees or interest
  
  
• 24-month finance option via StepEx (available to eligible UK/EU applicants)
  
  
• Employer sponsorship, with support to help you make the case internally

Feel free to discuss these options with one of our Enrolment Advisors, and work out a plan that suits you best. For the most accurate, up-to-date options, refer to the programme page you’re considering.

10) Join a community that sustains your momentum – online and in person

From peer WhatsApp groups during the Employer Project to in-person graduation celebrations and networking events on selected programmes, you’ll build relationships that last beyond the classroom.

Interested in enrolling?

If you’re based in the UK (or targeting UK roles) and want a part-time online route designed to support real career moves, start by comparing programmes in the Career Accelerator hub.

We’re excited to have three Career Accelerators live with more groundbreaking developments coming soon!

If you’re interested in a career in Data Analytics, Product Management or Product Design, our Enrolment Advisors would love to chat with you and share more information. 

• Book a call with an advisor on the King’s UX & UI Product Design Career Accelerator 
• Book a call with an advisor on the King’s Product Management Career Accelerator
• Book a call with an advisor on the LSE Data Analytics Career Accelerator
• Learn more about Cybersecurity Strategy & Leadership (Cambridge)

FAQs about Fourthrev courses 

What is a Career Accelerator programme?

A Career Accelerator programme is a structured learning pathway designed to build job-relevant skills and help you apply them in practical contexts. It often includes support and accountability to help you stay on track. Explore options here: https://fourthrev.com/career-accelerators/

How long does a Career Accelerator take?

It varies by programme. Always check the programme page for the most up-to-date duration and schedule details: https://fourthrev.com/career-accelerators/

How many hours per week is a Career Accelerator?

It varies by programme and pathway. The best place to confirm weekly time expectations is the specific programme page you’re considering: https://fourthrev.com/career-accelerators/

Is a Career Accelerator worth it in the UK?

A Career Accelerator can be a good fit if you want a clear, supported way to build practical skills and can commit steady time each week. If outcomes matter to you, review the Career Milestone Guarantee and compare programmes: https://fourthrev.com/career-milestone-guarantee/

What’s the difference between a Career Accelerator and a bootcamp?

Bootcamps are often more intensive and can be full-time, while a Career Accelerator programme is commonly built for working professionals and may include more structured support and milestones. Compare options and formats here: https://fourthrev.com/career-accelerators/

Is a Career Accelerator the same as a master’s degree?

Not usually. A master’s degree is typically longer and more academic, while a Career Accelerator programme is designed to be career-focused and applied. Always compare the format, time commitment, and outcomes you need.

Do Career Accelerators help with career change?

They can, especially when they include applied projects and support that helps you translate learning into interview-ready evidence. Start by choosing a pathway aligned to your target role: https://fourthrev.com/career-accelerators/

What should I look for when choosing a Career Accelerator programme?

Look for role relevance, applied work, support structure, time commitment, and the type of evidence you’ll produce by the end. Then confirm the specifics on the programme page before you commit: https://fourthrev.com/career-accelerators/

There is nothing more highly valued by employers than experience. 

But getting experience is not always easy. While traditional education models cover a breadth of theory, they often don’t include opportunities for practical application. 

FourthRev’s Career Accelerators are different. Developed by faculty from prestigious universities alongside leaders from innovative tech companies, the learning outcomes are practical, industry-aligned, and relevant in today’s digital economy. 

The Employer Project – the capstone project at the end of our programmes – is the ultimate opportunity for you to experience what it’s like to work on a real-life business case at a real company. You get to apply everything you’ve learned to the project and add the work you do to your portfolio to show to employers.

Here’s a closer look at how the Employer Project works and the impact it can have on your career.

The Employer Project comes after three structured courses

While not every Career Accelerator follows this structure to a tee, here’s an idea of what you can likely expect.

You’ll start off with an orientation week where you get to know the learning platform and meet with your Success Manager and Career Coach to discuss your career goals and what you want to get out of the programme. This is a time for you to settle in, find your feet, and practically prepare for the next six months.

After orientation, you’ll start the first of three six-week-long courses. At the end of each course, you’ll submit an assignment. Depending on the programme, these assignments might be course-specific or build on each other over the six-month learning period. Either way, these submissions give you the chance to put the skills you have learned into practice. The practical work you do can contribute to a portfolio of evidence that you can use in future interviews to demonstrate your abilities in job interviews. 

Eleonora Bacchi, a past learner on the LSE Data Analytics Career Accelerator, shares a look at her portfolio of learnings that helped her land a job as a research analyst soon after completing the programme.

A reflection week follows each three-week course. This offers a chance to meet with your Career Coach, revisit the goals you set for yourself, and track your progress. 

In the final six weeks of the programme, you’ll work on the Employer Project. It’s the capstone that brings together and applies all the skills you’ve learned on the Career Accelerator. 

“The Employer Project reassured me that I made the right choice in changing careers. It was the first moment I felt I could contribute something meaningful in a new industry, and that gave me a sense of confidence I needed moving forward.” – Rie, Career Accelerator Alumna

The project is a highlight for many of our learners – especially those pivoting their careers and needing proof of their skills. Megan, an Alumna of the LSE Data Analytics Career Accelerator, could lean on her project experience during interviews, which helped her land a job. 

Real businesses set the Employer Project

The project is designed by one of our Employer Partners and usually features a challenge or business case they need support or a fresh perspective on. 

Across our Career Accelerators, we’re excited to work with a diverse range of innovative organisations – from GAEA AI and Creative Navy to the Bank of England, DocuSign, Sky, and Cancer Support Netherlands – giving learners exposure to a wide range of real-world business challenges.

“For organisations like Cancer Support Netherlands… initiatives like this bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas that we could not realistically commission or pay for in the real world.” – Jill Murray, Board member, Cancer Support Netherlands.

The idea behind every Employer Project is to give our learners a real feel for what it’s like to work in the field they’re learning about. For six weeks, they become an extended part of the business team and work in groups to understand the dynamics that come with working together to solve a real industry problem. At the same time, while the learners benefit from getting a glimpse into the work and industry, the Employer Partners get a fresh and diverse perspective on a project or business challenge.

“Practical projects like these are priceless. They help learners decide if digital marketing is the right career for them, while giving them real-world experience that theory alone can’t provide.“ – Gabriela Lazova, CEO at Lean

Hear Graeme Scott, Founder & CEO of GAEA AI, introduce the Employer Project that the company designed for the LSE Data Analytics Career Accelerator.

The Project is designed for end-to-end problem-solving

Every Employer Project is unique, but they generally all follow this structure: 

• Assignment 1: Project scope and demand
• Assignment 2: Low-fi recommendation pitch 
• Assignment 3: Final presentation and report
• Assignment 4: Individual reflection

With your small group of programme peers, you’ll get to research, ideate, and develop a solution directly for the company. Along the way, you’ll get the chance to ask questions, present your ideas, and get feedback from the business, allowing you to be fully immersed in the experience. 

You’ll get a real ‘work team’ experience 

Before the project kicks off, you’ll be put into a small group with other learners in your cohort. Through six weeks of collaboration, you’ll better understand what it’s like to work as part of a team in the field that you’re interested in. 

Working so closely with others will also give you an excellent opportunity to practise the human skills, like communication and empathy, that are necessary in the role. 

“It felt like we were colleagues and they were supporting us and our learning process. They were open to all of the questions… really warm and clear and also very honest.
– Rubi Rodriguez, King’s Product Management Career Accelerator Alumna

Get feedback from industry experts 

We work with leaders in digital businesses and faculty from the world’s best universities to develop the core curriculum. This helps ensure what you learn is relevant to what is going on in industry right now and aligns with the highest standards of education. These experts may host guest lectures during the programme too. 

During the Employer Project, you’ll work more closely with a team from a specific company. To get you started, they’ll host a kick-off session to provide you with the brief and context you need. 

Halfway through, you’ll give a mini-presentation on the work you’ve done so far and conclude the project with a final, more in-depth presentation and discussion of your solution. If you have questions along the way, you can reach out to the team. The Employer Partner will grade your final submission and give you feedback. Because you’ll be working on a solution for a real business problem that the team is currently facing, there’s a chance your work will be picked up and implemented by the company. This could be something really exciting to talk about in interviews!

Build a portfolio of evidence 

Every Career Accelerator has been designed to ensure that everything you work on can contribute in a meaningful way to getting you hired. The coursework assignments and Employer Project can tangibly demonstrate the new skills you’ve picked up to make it easier for you to catch hiring managers’ attention.

Due to the sensitive nature of some projects, however, and the relevant privacy agreements in place, there may be some limitations on the level of detail you can share about the work you do on the Employer Project. Don’t worry, though – if the project you work on does have some privacy agreements in place, your Career Coach will work with you to make sure you can present your new skills in the most effective way so that you can achieve your career goals.

“I’ve actually had feedback from the recruiter: they were very impressed with my competitive knowledge and technical capabilities, particularly noting the value of my AI/ML course at Cambridge. They highlighted that as very specific as to why they’ve taken me on.” – Sheldon Kemper, Cambridge PACE Data Science Career Accelerator Alumnus

You’ll be supported throughout your learning journey

Your Success Manager and Career Coach will be available to you throughout the programme. There’s no pressure around how you interact with them – they recognise that everyone’s learning journey and career goals are different and factor that into the relationship they build with you. 

You’ll also be supported by your peers – the people learning alongside you. There are regular opportunities to connect with the broader group during online sessions or in the community forum. We’ve had many learners stay in touch with their project group, even once the Career Accelerator has ended.

“The student community is a very important part of the experience as a learner. There’s a lot of encouragement from the course coordinators for the students to engage with each other and learn from each other, and there are a lot of structured opportunities to have that engagement.” – Andreas Yiallouros, LSE Data Analytics Career Accelerator Alumnus

Take a meaningful step forward in your career

The Employer Project provides you with a unique opportunity to experience what it’s really like to work in a role – before you get hired. You’ll get to test your technical abilities, feel where you fit in a team, discover what’s hard and where you thrive. It’s a chance to get one step ahead and make a more informed decision for future you. 
We’re thrilled to offer a range of Employer Projects across our programmes. Take a look at our programme portfolio to learn more.

We’re excited to announce our partnership with the Bank of England as the Employer Partner on the Data Science Career Accelerator from the University of Cambridge Professional and Continuing Education (PACE).

Most of the world’s leading companies employ data scientists, and 80% of the fastest-growing roles in the world are in data. But there’s a common problem that separates successful companies from those that fail: How to make data actionable and impactful. 

By partnering with the Bank of England, our goal is to ensure that learners will not only receive cutting-edge education but will also have the unique opportunity to apply their knowledge within a real-world environment. The Employer Project – the capstone of Career Accelerator programmes – presents the ultimate opportunity for learners to experience what it’s like to work on a meaningful problem at a real company. 

James Benford, Chief Data Officer at the Bank of England, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration:

The Bank is currently conducting a live business case study with learners enrolled in one of our other programmes, the LSE Data Analytics Career Accelerator. This case study involves examining sentiment analysis of speeches and the relationship to specific events in the UK, such as high inflation and increased cost of living. The Bank will be making use of an equally business-critical challenge for learners to solve in the Data Science Career Accelerator.

Dr James Gazzard, Director of the University of Cambridge Professional and Continuing Education (PACE), says:

This Career Accelerator is set to play a pivotal role in shaping the next generation of data scientists. 

Register for this seven-month online programme here.

On 1 July 2025, the Institute of Continuing Education became the University of Cambridge Professional and Continuing Education (PACE). As part of this transition, you may still encounter some materials or communications bearing the previous ICE branding. Please be assured that while the name and identity are evolving, the learning experience and programme outcomes of the Career Accelerator remain unchanged — with Cambridge academics continuing to deliver world-class education.

The COVID-19 pandemic has instigated an accelerated digital-first approach to organisational strategy, shifting the focus of multiple sectors towards product-centric goals. A Product Manager is now listed as the third-best job in the UK for 2022, with high job satisfaction and an average median base salary of £60 656.¹ Hiring portals like Glassdoor are also seeing significant growth in demand for this role in terms of job listings.²

Consequently, the need for upskilling existing employees and increased hiring of both entry-level and more advanced Product Managers has emerged.

The 6-month programme has been developed by the Department of Digital Humanities, in collaboration with leaders from organisations such as Atlassian, Dropbox, Mr Yum, Linktree, and industry expert, Janna Bastow, Founder and CEO of ProdPad. With a curriculum co-designed by global technology companies and leading employers, the programme provides an immersive, project-based experience for learners seeking a career as a Product Manager. The Career Accelerator’s capstone Employer Project allows students the opportunity to work on real-world industry problems, where they have the chance to demonstrate and apply the capabilities they have developed throughout the programme while creating meaningful organisational value for the partners.

With the advent of FourthRev’s second Career Accelerator, Chief Partnerships Director, Mark Lester, says:

“We are thrilled to be launching the Product Management Career Accelerator with King’s College London. Whether you’re looking to break into a product management career or deepen your expertise in product management, the Career Accelerator brings together the rich practical insights from veteran Product Managers, the experience of doing authentically-designed business projects from employers, and the academic rigour and analytical skill development from a world-leading research university, so that learners can acquire the job-relevant and critical abilities to achieve their career goals.”

Professor Marion Thain, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at King’s College London adds:

“King’s is delighted to be developing shorter courses through this partnership to supplement our more traditional degree-length offerings because it enables us to share our expertise more broadly. We are really proud of the incredible talent we have in this important area, placing us at the forefront of digital developments, and we want as many people as possible to be able to benefit from that talent. The skills and knowledge we offer are essential to tackling the major challenges of the twenty-first century. It is King’s’ mission to make the world a better place, and supporting the progression of people who are already in the workplace (as well as the more typical degree student) must be part of that. It’s also great to have this route to working more with industry experts and we look forward to developing those relationships further to the benefit of all parties.”

Janna Bastow, who has joined the King’s Product Management Career Accelerator as a partner, shares:

“I’m excited to see this course and its curriculum put together by King’s College London. For too long, product management has been a role that so many of us ‘fell into’ by chance or accident, and certainly didn’t have training or dedicated courses to guide the path there. When hiring a Product Manager, as I am right now, I look for a good mix of practical knowledge and know-how about how the product development process works, along with experiences and stories that show the person has put those skills to use in a real-world environment. With the continued growth in the product management field, and with the wider tech sector, there’s going to be a huge demand for people with product management skills, and I’m glad to be working with King’s on bringing some of my own expertise into the mix with their students.”

What is a Career Accelerator?

At their core, Career Accelerators seek to address four knowledge and skill groups that lay the foundations for sustainable career success:

• Technical: Learn the skills you need to perform in high-demand technical roles
• Organisational: Gain a broad understanding of how to apply your technical skills in a business context
• Employability: Master the human skills you need to get a job, go for a promotion or meet employer-specific outcomes
• Personal: Work with a coach to understand what you want from your career and how to actively work towards achieving your goals

What does the King’s Career Accelerator in Product Management entail?

• Skill level: A programme developed for career starters or changers taking their first step into product management, as well as for those already working in product management wanting to formalise their existing experience
• Learning time: A flexible learning programme that runs for six months and requires 12 hours of study per week
• Important dates: Enrolment opens in July, with the first learners commencing their studies on 10 October 2022

The King’s Product Management Career Accelerator has been designed to accelerate your progress and personal development, no matter where you’re at in your career. Course content focuses on foundational product management knowledge and skills in product strategy, design and launch. Other topics that you will explore include Agile product development, prototyping and testing, design thinking, and product analytics, amongst others.³  

The six-month programme starts after three weeks of student onboarding, where you’ll familiarise yourself with the online campus, get comfortable with the learning software, be introduced to your support team, connect with fellow learners and plan your studies. You’ll then progress through three courses and an Employer Project, where you’ll build a portfolio of evidence to showcase your new skills and competencies. You’ll need to commit 12 hours a week to engage with the course content effectively.

To maximise the value that you get out of the programme, only a limited number of learners are admitted, so early registration is encouraged. Enrolment opens in July, with the first learners commencing their studies on 10 October 2022.

Why is this Career Accelerator the right choice for me?

A FourthRev survey found that 66% of UK recruiters prefer candidates with a combination of an academic qualification and a practical, hands-on work portfolio. 

“The best digital Product Managers have a blend of design, management, communication, and technical skills. These are augmented by an ability to critically reflect on stakeholder requirements, business and organisational strategies, design ethics, and regulatory frameworks. By co-designing the curriculum in partnership with industry, we can be confident graduates will gain the well-rounded educational experience they, and their future employers, need,” shares Dr James Smithies, Professor of Digital Humanities at King’s College London and Programme Coordinator for the King’s Product Management Career Accelerator. 

Leaders from tech companies such as Atlassian, Dropbox, Linktree, Mr Yum and ProdPad, have played an active role in ensuring that everything you learn is relevant to industry. The Employer Project that makes up the last leg of the project-based programme also gives you the chance to practically apply your skills to a real-world business problem and get direct feedback from FourthRev’s employer partners. This is a unique opportunity to learn from professionals working in some of the leading brands in their field and will provide you with invaluable tools and insights that you can use as your career progresses. 

The role of a Product Manager continues to evolve, making it an exciting, dynamic space to be in with unbounded career growth opportunities. While this is hugely exciting, it’s important to remain grounded and focused on how these opportunities will help you achieve your specific desired outcomes. To help you do this, you’ll have continuous support from your own Success Manager and a Career Coach who will meet with you regularly and ensure that you feel comfortable, motivated and confident about the direction you’re heading in. Upon completion of the Career Accelerator, you’ll receive a certificate from King’s College London to recognise your achievement.

1. Glassdoor, 25 Best Jobs in the UK for 2022.{Listing} 2022.
2. The Product Manager.15 Statistics You Should Know About A Career In Product Management. [Article]. August 31, 2020.
3. Programme content is subject to change during development.

Leading global technology consultancy, Thoughtworks, has become the latest employer partner to join the Data Analytics Career Accelerator, a new programme being developed by The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in collaboration with online education company FourthRev.

Set out as a specific skill in need earlier this year by the UK Government, there will be an estimated 20 million data analyst roles required by 2025 globally. This, combined with Thoughtworks’ research showing that just 40 percent of CEOs worldwide regard their own knowledge of data strategy as ‘good’, points to the fact that companies are eager to address the issue.

The six-month career accelerator will train students from a range of different backgrounds and disciplines to develop holistic data analysis skills. It will be designed and developed by expert faculty from LSE’s Departments of Statistics and Department of Methodology, in collaboration with leading industry partners to ensure outcomes align with industry demand. The programme will introduce core concepts of data analysis and develop data-handling capabilities.

In the final stage of the Career Accelerator, learners will work directly with an employer to apply the analytical skills that they learn and build their portfolio of evidence. As an industry partner joining the programme, Thoughtworks will provide projects designed to simulate real-world situations and which are focussed on issues that support Thoughtworks’ approaches and values. These will allow students to apply their newly acquired knowledge in an authentic business scenario, as well as develop their collaboration and communication skills.

Danilo Sato, Head of Data & AI Services UK at Thoughtworks says:

“Data strategy now sits at the heart of successful digital organizations, and these highly prized data analytics skills are essential to a company’s success. We feel fortunate to have the opportunity to collaborate with a university as renowned as LSE. At Thoughtworks, we strive to hire and nurture future-fit talent equipped with the competencies and skills needed to thrive in the digital economy. We believe that a programme of this kind is one step closer to helping both us and other organizations resolve the digital skills gap.”

Dr James Abdey, Programme Coordinator and Associate Professorial Lecturer in Statistics at LSE says:

“The powerful combination of expertise from LSE faculty with industry experience is at the heart of the Data Analytics Career Accelerator and we are delighted to welcome Thoughtworks as collaborators on the programme.”

While this programme is specific to data analytics, the Career Accelerator model was developed by FourthRev to offer learners a launch pad for careers in the digital economy.

Omar de Silva, Co-Founder of FourthRev notes:

“The collaboration between world-leading universities, tech companies and employers is central to these online programmes. This approach combines the robustness and recognition of a world-leading university education alongside the best job-focused technical education, designed by top industry and employers. Thoughtworks’ perspective will help to ensure that course projects meet the expectations of industry.”

Visit the programme page to find out more about how this online Data Analytics Career Accelerator sets you up to become an in-demand data analyst.

Note to editors

Unless otherwise stated, the research referenced was carried out online by Maru/Blue in February 2021. It surveyed nearly 1,000 C-Suite decision makers, comprising of CEOs, CIOs and CTOs across 12 countries, all markets where Thoughtworks has a significant market presence and can provide market commentary (USA, UK, Germany, China, Australia, India, Brazil, Singapore, Italy, Romania, Finland and Netherlands) and across seven sectors.

About Thoughtworks

Thoughtworks is a global technology consultancy that integrates strategy, design and engineering to drive digital innovation. We are 10,000+ people strong across

48 offices in 17 countries. Over the last 25+ years, we’ve delivered extraordinary impact together with our clients by helping them solve complex business problems with technology as the differentiator.

FourthRev, the digital education company, and The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) are announcing today the launch of the online Data Analytics Career Accelerator. Built in collaboration with global technology companies and leading employers, this Career Accelerator delivers an immersive, project-based, and fully online experience available to learners anywhere in the world. The programme empowers participants with the technical, analytical and human skills necessary to launch or advance a career in the digital economy, and provides the project portfolio and job matching support to enable graduates to successfully secure new employment in data-focused roles.

The online Data Analytics Career Accelerator will open for enrolment in August 2021, with the first learners commencing their studies in February 2022. The curriculum will prepare learners to enter data analytics roles with a critical combination of in-demand technical skills including data analysis, visualisation and programming, with  human skills such as problem-solving, influencing and critical reflection. The programme has been developed by LSE’s world class Departments of Statistics and Methodology in collaboration with global data analytics companies, such as Tableau, and includes virtual projects with employer partners and job matching support from global recruitment specialists, such as Robert Walters.

While full details of the curriculum will be available when enrolment opens, the programme is designed to enable learners to:

• Conduct descriptive analytics in order to prepare reports and insights to support business decision-making
• Prepare advanced data visualisations and data stories to communicate compelling, guided narratives to key business stakeholders
• Acquire large amounts of complex data from multiple sources and complete advanced analytical processes using popular analytical tools
• Apply predictive models to transform insights into actionable strategies
• Collaborate in solving business problems and justify strategic recommendations that leverage best practice and advanced data-analytic approaches
• Build practical experience with critical in-demand analytics tools: Excel, SQL databases, postgres, Python, R, and Tableau

Professor Pauline Barrieu, Academic Director of Online Programmes at LSE commented: “Supporting alumni and professionals to refresh and adapt their knowledge and skills throughout their evolving careers is important to us. We are excited to be working with FourthRev to deliver the Data Analytics Career Accelerator and hope to empower more people from varied backgrounds to advance in this fast-growing field.”

Mark Lester, Chief Partnerships Officer for FouthRev shares “We are delighted to be launching the Data Analytics Career Accelerator with LSE. FourthRev designed the Career Accelerators concept to take a fresh look at delivering highly relevant online short course education for the digital economy. Learners should not need to choose between an industry-led bootcamp or an academic programme, and so this approach combines the best of both. Learners will experience the robustness and recognition of LSE’s world-leading education alongside the best job-focused technical education, designed by top industry and employers.”

Tom Chambers, Associate Director of Technology & Growth at Robert Walters said: “This programme from FourthRev and LSE will help to address the skills gap through the combination of both academic credibility and hands-on, practical experience. What’s most important about the Career Accelerator programme is the genuine foot on the employment ladder it provides through our developed recruitment network. What is also exciting is the foundation they offer for diverse groups of people to build strong careers in technology.”

Although available to all, LSE and FourthRev expect the programme to appeal most to people who are looking to fast track their professional development while in work still or people looking to switch careers and move into the digital technology sector. FourthRev is planning to launch additional Career Accelerators from LSE and from other leading universities and global corporations over the coming year.