CityFibre partners with the University of Edinburgh to encourage learners to pursue careers in data science

CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent full fibre network, has teamed up with the Data Education in Schools project at the University of Edinburgh to create a learning tool that helps school pupils develop skills in data science.

Data Education in Schools is part of the DDI Skills Gateway – a £6.9m investment in data skills and education as part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal. CityFibre’s support of the project comes as it is investing more than £100m to bring its full fibre network to within reach of almost every home and business across the city.

The project supports the SQA’s Data Science National Progression Award (NPA), a school level qualification in data science, which is the first of its kind. CityFibre provided a data set and problem statement which has been developed into an end-to-end example activity, guiding users through the steps of solving a real-world business problem using data.

This allows students to get practical data science experience and develop an understanding of how data is used in society, whilst highlighting the benefits in applying a data solution to a business problem. It has been designed in such a way that it can be done virtually if required, ensuring the programme is accessible to all. It also includes the flexibility so that the business question can be changed and different outputs developed.

The programme has now been successfully trialled in schools, with one school reporting three senior pupils deciding to study data science at university on the back of completing the NPA. Teaching resources are now being developed with the programme being rolled out across the UK.

Elaine Doherty, Head of Data Insights at CityFibre, said: “As soon as we heard about the NPA Data Science award and its potential to encourage the next generation to get involved in data science, we really wanted to support the project. Across our world-class full fibre networks, we handle massive amounts of data and can see the value of managing data well, and the massive benefits data can bring to businesses.

“The skills required to handle data effectively are transferrable across a number of different sectors, and these skills are becoming more and more sought after in an increasingly digital workforce. We are thrilled to see how our partnership has developed into such an engaging tool and hope it helps to encourage the next generation of data scientists.”

Kate Farrell, Director of Development and Professional Learning, Data Education in Schools at the University of Edinburgh, added: “Schools have found it so valuable having access to a local dataset. Educators have appreciated seeing how data science can take place in the workplace and learners find it useful to see that the skills they are learning in class can be applied in the workplace. The CityFibre resource is particularly welcomed by educators because it gives learners an understanding of the assessment for the National Progression Award in Data Science and a chance to practice their skills.”

CityFibre is currently rolling out full fibre digital infrastructure across Edinburgh, future-proofing the city’s connectivity and enabling residents, businesses and services to benefit from fast, reliable internet services.

Across the UK, CityFibre is already working with Vodafone, TalkTalk, Zen and an ever-increasing number of partners, offering some of the fastest and most competitive broadband packages available.

Residents interested in giving their home broadband a boost can find out more about the build and register their interest at www.cityfibre.com/PR-Register

For more information about the University of Edinburgh’s Data Science National Progression Award, visit https://www.de.ed.ac.uk/project/national-progression-award-data-science.