You can’t have an executive board that understands the importance of data if you don’t have the skills to exploit its assets. According to Nash Squared’s annual Digital Leadership Report, 54% of digital leaders globally say a skills shortage is preventing them from keeping up with the pace of change. The survey shows the biggest skills gap is in data. Big data, analytics, and data engineering are the most in-demand technology skills, with around half (51%) of CIOs looking to increase their internal headcount for data capabilities during the next 12 months. Andy Moore, chief data officer (CDO) at Bentley Motors, is leading an initiative to help the automotive giant attract, train, and retain data-literate professionals. Moore explained to ZDNET at the London leg of Snowflake’s Data Cloud World Tour how the apprenticeship program is a “digital pipeline of future talent.” Using the UK government’s apprenticeship levy, Bentley funds the program. Apprentices earn a wage during their time with the company, and the starting salary is just over £20,000. Bentley is creating an enterprise-wide data strategy built around governance, the data cloud, the data dojo and enablement. Moore’s aim is to help people across the company make the most of data and to ensure everyone at Bentley has a strong awareness of how data should be used and why it needs to be governed.
Bridging the Data Skills Gap: How One Company is Making a Difference
