In a recent article for The Data Literacy Project , Experian's Head of Thought Leadership & Data Literacy, Paul Malyon, discusses not only how data literacy is useful to Experian as an information services company, but how it can benefit us all as individuals.
Paul discusses the example of buying a home, and how many of the factors that we take into consideration when we make this decision are based on data. Things we may want to consider include commute time to work, local school performance, crime rates, planning history and much more. And while some of the information needed may be easily accessible, in other cases we may need to look beyond the surface level data to get the real answers that we are looking for. It's about being curious, and having the confidence to go out and request additional information to perform your own analysis, to meet your specific needs. You can read the full article here: https://thedataliteracyproject.org/posts/data-literacy-a-must-have-in-the-data-powered-future
And these skills of curiosity and confidence that come with being data literate can help us in many other aspects of our lives too. For example when we are considering a new career path we may want to analyse data on salaries, job satisfaction and progression opportunities. Or if we want to relocate we can compare living costs, services and well-being information to help us to make the best choice.
So you can see from the above examples that data literacy is not just a skill for the workplace, but something that can bring us big benefits in our personal lives too. Qlik is committed to improving data literacy rates through the Data Literacy Project and also the Qlik Academic Program. The Data Literacy Project has learning resources open to all, and the Qlik Academic Program is specifically for students and academics who want to get trained in the use of Qlik analytics software, as well as to learn more about general theories and concepts in analytics. To find out more or to sign up visit qlik.com/academicprogram
