Introduction to Data Skills for Work Bootcamp for women returners

In a rapidly evolving landscape where digital literacy and data skills have become integral across all sectors, the acquisition of data skills has the potential to open doors to a multitude of employment opportunities. Fife College recognised this, and, in collaboration with Data Skills for Work at The Data Lab and supported by the Tay Cities Region Deal Digital Skills Project, they ran an Introduction to Data Skills for Work Bootcamp for women returners.

The free 3-day online course was geared towards women living in the Tay Cities Region who earn less than £24k a year and was designed to give participants foundational data tools to help them flourish in an increasingly digitalised, automated and data-driven world whilst supporting them in their personal and professional growth.

I found it empowering to be able to audit my skills and see what I know and pinpoint things that I do not know.
— Participant

The course helped prepare women for a career or further educational pursuits. By participating, women were afforded the opportunity to assess their existing digital literacy levels, cultivate a suite of digital proficiencies applicable to daily tasks, gain insights into the practical applications of data, acquire the ability to decipher data across various formats, and become adept at utilising a diverse array of tools and methodologies for data analysis.

Participants completed the course with the necessary skills and confidence to adapt and thrive in the workplaces of today and tomorrow.

One participant, who was one of those who took part in the course said: “The course was great. I used the course as an audit to build my confidence and to see if there were any data skill areas that I needed more work on. I found it empowering to be able to audit my skills and see what I know and pinpoint things that I do not know. Overall, I come away from the course feeling extremely pleased that I participated. I like that I was with other women returners. I liked seeing how the curriculum was put together. I like data, I like working with data, so I liked the theme of the course.”