The Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia (IAPA) is celebrating International Women’s Day 2021 with a part-scholarship to study analytics at the Kaplan Business School.

Annette Slunjski, Managing Director, IAPA said Australian businesses can improve their competitive position by embracing diversity, especially in analytics, data science and machine learning.

“No matter where in your analytics journey your organisation sits – from “what happened and why” analysis through to advanced analytics that includes artificial intelligence using machine learning – improving team diversity will improve insights and outcomes,” said Slunjski.

“Just look at the women in the IAPA spotlight to see the value, insight and skill these analytics professionals bring to the table.”

The Advancing Women in Analytics Award scholarship provides any Australian citizen or permanent resident who identifies as a woman the opportunity to receive a 30% tuition fee reduction for the duration of study in a postgraduate analytics course or single subject.

Application for the scholarship consists of a form and a 500-word statement addressing criteria of advancement, awareness and advocacy. Applications and more information on the Kaplan website.

Analytics experts required

Australia faces a shortage of qualified analytics professionals with IAPA encouraging workers to upskill and join the field.

“It’s only by encouraging career transition to the analytics profession from roles in finance, IT, marketing, operations and human resources that we’ll get to the level of analytics talent required to sustain business improvement, innovation and leadership in the fourth industrial age,” said Slunjski.

During March IAPA is offering 20% off the IAPA Analytics Fundamentals online course enabling those thinking of transitioning to an analytics career gain a foundation understanding of analytics without having to code, model or wrangle data. The 20% discount code is ChooseToChallenge and expires on 31 March 2021.

As part of promoting analytics careers, Slunjski is speaking at the Women in Data Science (WiDS) Sydney Festival from 8 to 12 March.

Delivered virtually, the festival includes a lunchtime keynote and evening workshop each day.

The Friday lunchtime session, “Different Careers in the Data Realm”, features industry leaders from IAPA, LendLease, Teachers Health, Civita, Assignar and ACS.

The Sydney WiDS Festival is an independent event organised by the Sydney WiDS Ambassadors to coincide with the global Stanford University Women in Data Science 24-hour Virtual Conference.

Tickets for the Women in Data Science Sydney Festival are free and available from https://widssydney.com.au/