Leveraging valuable data
Organisations handle significant volumes of data, and the huge amount of data being collected needs to be understood and leveraged effectively. It is essential to understand not just how to leverage this data but how to fully understand and analyse the data coming in to optimise it for your business goals and customer experiences. To achieve this, organisations should look to achieve a standard level of data literacy company-wide, empowering your people to utilise and be confident with data in their day-to-day work.
Data consultancy Cynozure found that 60% of organisations are actively working to improve their data abilities, but a lack of confidence in non-data professionals hinders their progress. Data democratisation across your organisation has to go beyond presenting your employees with access to company data. They must be equipped with the skills to confidently utilise this data.
Developing company-wide data literacy
Developing a data-driven culture requires development and training, with employers able to access the apprenticeship levy funding to develop training from trusted providers in key skills areas, including data literacy.
While you may have a highly-skilled data team, your data expertise must be spread further throughout your organisation, ensuring all your employees can confidently utilise data to inform decision-making and deliver improved customer experiences. Let’s explore why data literacy is essential for organisations.
Why data literacy matters
Data literacy has become crucial for organisations committed to providing the best levels of customer experience and maximising the value of their customer data to ensure this.
Data teams are already under significant pressure and unable to work on the high-level data engineering and analytics tasks which could be essential to future business success. Instead, they are handling and utilising data on a day-to-day level in ways you could empower your wider teams to do, freeing up your specialists for the advanced, in-depth and technical work. Effective use of leveraging customer data across the business lessens the impact on data teams and is efficiently carried out through the use of the Hub and Spoke method.
Clean and understood data allows for better business forecasting to enable north star thinking on long-term business objectives, allowing your specialists to focus their talents on the advanced-level work they have the expertise to handle.
Data literacy also allows your organisation to run more smoothly across all business functions, as teams can leverage their own data skills rather than calling upon the data team for a range of different tasks. Team members can self-serve and utilise their developing data skills to innovate and problem-solve within their department. Organisations committed to a data-driven future benefit from employees who are confident in their decision-making as it is backed by evidence in the form of data they are comfortable with and able to adequately understand.
How to leverage the apprenticeship levy for data literacy
The government apprenticeship levy is designed to help companies offer more apprenticeships. It’s an effective tool for boosting business-critical training programmes, retention rates and, in times of digital transformation, enhancing digital and data literacy. Levy contributions are available through a digital account that organisations can use to pay trusted apprenticeship training providers in line with levy guidelines. Many organisations are not accessing their levy funding or getting any value from it, and this needs to change, especially when your teams are in need of up-to-date skills and training.
Unfortunately, there is a degree of inertia around integrating the apprenticeship levy into corporate learning and development strategy. Figures from the Education and Skills Funding Agency show £3bn in apprenticeship levy funding in England is sitting unused. Grant Thornton’s research suggests that as many as 45% of companies are not using their levy funding.
Through accessing the funding, organisations can partner with experienced training providers to build a company-wide standardised knowledge base in digital literacy. This helps build your teams’ confidence and allows individuals to manage data effectively for the benefit of your customers and to lead to better business decisions.
Driving data literacy with targeted training programmes.
Corndel provides a range of high-quality data literacy training programmes in partnership with Imperial College London. Our partnership ensures our corporate clients and their people benefit from the expertise of both a world-renowned academic institution and market-leading vocational training specialists. Our programmes are available at a range of levels to suit people at different stages in their careers:
The Imperial College & Corndel Data-Driven Professional Programme:
Our Level 3 apprenticeship programme accredited by A4digital Academy. This programme is designed for people whose roles will benefit from a better understanding of organisational data and how to use it effectively in business decision-making and to improve business outcomes.
The Imperial College and Corndel Data Analyst Programme:
Our Level 4 apprenticeship programme accredited by A4digital Academy. This programme establishes a powerful network of data scientists, analysts and database specialists within different departments in your business. It is ideal for employees who need to develop their technical data skills so they can better use the data available to them.
The Corndel Digital & Technology Solutions Professional Degree Apprenticeship:
Graduates of the programme receive BSc (Hons) Digital and Technology Solutions. An in-depth programme to empower and upskill your digital stars and high-performers, ideal for meeting digital and data demand within your organisation and boosting your business’ technical expertise. It’s a great choice for current and aspiring tech professionals looking to enhance their careers and help your organisation bridge the data skills gap.
The quality of our programmes rests on the quality of our people. Corndel specialises in blended learning programmes, and the one-to-one interaction between learner and coach is integral to our model and success. Every learner is different, and every learner gets a unique personalised learning experience. Our programmes are fully funded via the apprenticeship levy, ensuring corporations can benefit from high-level training and upskilling with no additional cost considerations.
Learn more about how apprenticeship levy-funded training can assist in developing a data-literate foundation for your organisation, enabling better decision-making and improved customer experiences.
