New course to train data scientists, analysts

Course by Ngee Ann Poly, OCBC takes 2 to 3 years to complete

A new data analytics course is being launched by OCBC Bank and Ngee Ann Polytechnic to train more data scientists and analysts here.

It consists of 12 modules and will take about two to three years to complete. Trainees will then receive a certificate from the polytechnic.

The modules will be part of the SkillsFuture Series, a curated list of courses to help Singaporeans learn skills for emerging and priority areas. Registration will open in the fourth quarter of this year through the MySkillsFuture portal.

OCBC said yesterday that the course structure and content have been created in consultation with industry practitioners, including the bank's head of group customer analytics and decisioning, Mr Donald MacDonald.

Ngee Ann Polytechnic principal Clarence Ti said data remains one of the key drivers transforming the finance industry.

"The Data Certification Pathway we have co-created marries academic rigour with an assessment framework driven by industry practitioners so that it produces data scientists and analysts with industry-relevant skills and know-how," he added.

The course will be conducted by lecturers from Ngee Ann Polytechnic's School of InfoComm Technology and other data practitioners.

There will be online and classroom lessons, project work and assignments. Students will be assessed by a global panel of industry practitioners. If they do not want to take the full course, they can choose which modules they want to study.

  • 200

    Number of data scientists and analysts OCBC Bank aims to train over the next three years through the Data Certification Pathway, doubling the number of such staff it has now.

OCBC announced the course in conjunction with its annual learning festival for staff. Its head of group human resources, Mr Jason Ho, said the course will groom future data professionals to help in Singapore's Smart Nation push.

The bank aims to train 200 more data scientists and analysts over the next three years through this Data Certification Pathway, doubling the number of such staff it has now.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 10, 2019, with the headline New course to train data scientists, analysts. Subscribe