LassondePD partners with the University of Edinburgh’s Data Lab to offer a Data Leadership course for a non-technical audience

Lassonde Professional Development (LPD), part of York University’s Lassonde School of Engineering, and the University of Edinburgh’s The Data Lab centre are developing specialized training courses that will soon be offered to Data Analysts and AI (Artificial Intelligence) specialists. The Data Lab is one of the largest data and AI centres in Europe. It helps companies, organizations and individuals better understand the strong connection between well-resourced data and company success.

The Data Lab has worked with over 1,500 companies, public sector organizations and universities, and it has been at the centre of more than 100 innovation projects between industry and academia. In the process, it has generated £125 million, creating over 400 jobs and supporting some 500 students in postgraduate programs. Through its collaboration with The Data Lab, LPD’s goal is to bring similar benefits to its participant base. With The Data Lab’s impressive track record, connecting with Data Lab trainer, Craig Paterson, was an easy decision for LPD. Together, they were able to offer a free online webinar called Driving Value from Data to all interested learners. This webinar was designed to give participants a taste of the full course content, which Paterson regularly teaches as an Executive Education offer through the Data Lab.

During the webinar, Paterson spoke about a changed landscape for companies and organizations, one that includes people who are more data savvy than in previous years and expects sophisticated use of data to be part of the work they do. Although he acknowledged the daunting task ahead for organizations that are not yet using data to inform their daily operations, Paterson reiterated the benefits of data through a series of questions that challenged conventional views. He asked how data can be used to make better, more timely decisions; how it can be implemented to improve company processes and operations; and how it can be monetized. Participants were enthusiastic and engaged, asking many questions after the presentation.

This webinar was just a small preview of the upcoming Driving Value from Data course which LPD will be launching in 2023. The four-week, four-module course is a self-paced, online offer that explores the use and value of data and AI at an introductory level. After completing the course, participants will be able to:

• Describe how organizations use data and AI to drive value from data
• Identify and classify data/AI-related opportunities within their organizations
• Understand data/AI challenges and how others have overcome them

All this will help justify the investment required to start integrating data/AI-based value within their organization.

Learn more about the Driving Value from Data course.