IBM's data scientist certification program works to fill talent drought

Dive Brief:

IBM and global tech consortium The Open Group are partnering on a data science certification to help grow the data science talent pool. There are 151,000 unfilled data scientist jobs around the U.S., according to IBM, citing a LinkedIn study. Experts are required to fulfill duties like automating tasks, more accurately predicting future outcomes and recommending actions based on data.
The tech company is looking to create industrywide agreement for data scientists, helping employers find top talent and creating avenues for individuals to demonstrate their skills, Andrew Josey, VP of standards and certification at The Open Group, said in a statement.
IBM also announced a new Data Science Apprenticeship program, which offers job candidates who might not have a college degree 24 months of training. The program is part of the company's "New Collar" jobs initiative and focuses on three basic components: mentorship, education and practical experience. During the apprenticeship, employees will work towards meeting the requirements of The Open Group's Level 1 data scientist certification.

Dive Insight:

Analytics and specialty disciplines in technology, like data science, are vital to businesses. Collecting and analyzing data to decide best methods and practices is the strategy of world-class organizations, according to a study by The Hackett Group. These organizations reportedly do more, spend less, and make more efficient use of their workforce.

Digitization might have sizable upfront costs, but it can offset overall spending in the long run. Investments can prepare workers for the future, help reduce the talent gap and make organizations more competitive.

Data science's importance for modern business is underscored by a significant uptick in job postings and interest in the last several year. Postings for data science jobs rose 344% over the last five years on Indeed, and searches for data science jobs rose 14% last year.

To mitigate the current skills shortage, many businesses are integrating automation and low- or no-code capabilities into their portfolio. These tools elevate citizen data scientists who can extend data technologies throughout an organization without extensive data science background and training.

The talent shortage, especially in the tech space, is generating partnerships between companies and training organizations to equip workers with the kinds of skills they'll need in the workplace of the future.