National Occupational Standards for Big Data

I attended a focus group meeting yesterday afternoon, at Ibrox Stadium, which was organised by E-Skills UK to discuss new National Occupational Standards relating to big data.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the job roles and skills that are involved in this new area. Representatives of JP Morgan, RBS, NHS and other Scottish employers attended.

One of the key questions was: are there intermediate level jobs in this area? It's well known that there is a demand for data scientists. What is less clear is if there is a requirement for mid-level data analysts. The consensus was that there is. We discussed the skill sets involved in these roles. E-Skills hopes to have the new NOS available by October.

SQA is developing new HN Units in this area. Our focus is broader than workplace skills, and includes a high educational component (such as the social implications of big data). These new Units will be available to centres from September. Contact Caroline for further information. You can preview the units now.