The Growing Demand for Data Skills in the UK

[ElizCayirli]

In today’s data-driven world, being able to understand and analyze data is quickly becoming as essential as reading and writing. Across the UK, industries are scrambling for talent who can make sense of the numbers. The government’s recent National Data Strategy highlights this surge – demand for data skills has more than tripled since 2013​. Nearly half of UK businesses are now recruiting for roles that require data proficiency​. The catch? There aren’t enough data-skilled workers to go around. In fact, universities currently produce only about 10,000 data science graduates per year, yet an estimated 178,000–234,000 data roles need filling​. It’s no surprise that 46% of businesses have struggled to hire data-related jobs in recent years​. This growing skills gap puts pressure on higher education to step up and equip students with data literacy, no matter what they study.

[ElizCayirli]

Empowering Students through the Qlik Academic Program
Colleges and universities across the UK are responding by infusing data skills into their curricula – and they’re not doing it alone. One community-driven initiative helping to bridge the gap is the Qlik Academic Program, which partners with universities to boost data literacy for free. Qlik, a global analytics company, offers free Qlik Sense cloud software licenses and a full suite of learning resources to university educators and students​. This means students can get hands-on experience with industry-leading analytics tools beyond textbook theory. For example, at the University of Worcester, integrating Qlik into coursework let students go beyond theory to analyze real-world data and develop “workplace-ready skills” in data analysis and storytelling​. The learning platform also includes a range of free courses covering data analytics and Qlik’s software, so students can learn at their own pace. As they progress, they can test their knowledge through exams and earn official badges and certificates. The qualifications offered by Qlik allow students to improve their marketability by demonstrating new data skills to future employers​. In other words, passing these exams gives students concrete proof – in the form of digital certificates – that they are data literate, which can significantly boost their employability.

Building a Data-Literate Community
The impact of such programs is already being felt. The Qlik Academic Program has teamed up with many UK universities – including the University of Sheffield, Liverpool, Birmingham and Worcester – creating a growing community of data-savvy graduates. Educators receive ready-made curricula and toolkits to seamlessly incorporate data analytics into classes​, and students from all disciplines gain the confidence to work with data. In a job market where data literacy skills are in high demand and every sector is becoming data-centric, these collaborations ensure that the next generation enters the workforce ready to hit the ground running. It’s a true win-win: students enhance their career prospects, and industries get the data-literate talent they desperately need.

Ready to boost your data skills or bring these opportunities to your campus? Learn more about the Qlik Academic Program on our website: https://qlik.com/academicprogram and join the movement to make the UK a data-literate nation. Every student with data literacy is one step closer to a future-proof career – and together we can close the skills gap, one data-informed graduate at a time.