The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Data driving students to
Asharp increase of interest in business analytics and data across the north-east has led to one of Robert Gordon University (RGU)’s fastest-growing courses.
RGU’s school of creative and cultural business launched its MSc business analytics programme in 2019, when just four students enrolled for the postgraduate degree.
But the past two years have seen more than 100 students signing up annually, with the aim of becoming specialists in a business landscape which is becoming ever more reliant on data and digital expertise.
The extent of the subject’s success has now led to the course’s introduction as a fouryear undergraduate degree, as well as two new related short courses in data analytics.
There is one new course in data analytics for healthcare management and another focused on business decision-making.
RGU business and data analytics lecturer Sandra Cannon said: “The advancement of technology and the explosion of data in all areas of life means everyone needs to be comfortable understanding and using it.
“Whether people are managing their heating bills using a smart meter or building predictive models to better understand customer turnover, data is at the heart of so many of the activities people do in their day-to-day lives, often without them knowing it.”
The 10-week, creditbearing upskilling courses have been launched to cater for growing demand from learners interested in enhancing their skills in data analysis.
At the same time, there is an increasing desire among businesses to use data more effectively and to their advantage. Both of these trends can be found in the healthcare sector.
Recent Scottish Government messaging about its digital health and care strategy made clear “leaders across health and care must be equipped with the necessary digital skills”.
The government added: “If digital is the engine of our health and care system, data is its fuel.”
The need for better management of the healthcare sector’s eyewatering amount of sensitive data provides an opportunity to benefit practices and processes.
RGU’s relationship with NHS Grampian is born out of the university’s longstanding commitment to developing the northeast socially, culturally and economically.
The partnership has recognised a growing and specific need for the healthcare sector to employ staff with a specialist, non-clinical understanding of how to record and use data for wide-ranging uses.
Moses Onah is now a health intelligence analyst at NHS Scotland, having gained a postgraduate degree through RGU’s MSc business analytics programme.
“Data analytics is a powerful tool in healthcare management, allowing for personalised treatment, efficiency and anticipatory interventions,” Mr Onah said.
He added: “Health professionals and managers can easily identify individual and population-level health needs and patterns from rich patient health data.
“This makes it possible to provide patient-centred treatment options, reduce waiting times from patient flow data, and make anticipatory interventions based on models predicting future outbreaks of diseases and seasonal fluctuations in healthcare demands.”
But all of this depends, of course, on having access to reliable data. Mr Onah continued: “Skills in data mining are necessary to improve the quality of health data.
“Courses such as RGU’s data analytics for healthcare management short course provide the opportunity for professionals and managers to acquire the critical skills and techniques to transform and structure data from its raw form into a desired format for high-impact analytics.”
It is anticipated the introduction of health data courses at RGU will help students use advanced digital technology to enhance their skills and support the healthcare sector to optimise their organisational processes.
Jillian Evans, head of health intelligence and learning health systems at NHS Grampian, said: “For anyone working in healthcare, using and applying data to improve patient and population outcomes is one of the most important skills you will need.
“Whether your role is all about managing services, patients or resources, being able to appraise, interpret and apply data is a basic skill everyone should have, not just analysts.”
The advancement of technology has
transformed both how data is managed within organisations and how it is taught.
With whole sectors still adapting and learning how to implement digital procedures and practices, RGU said it was moving firmly with the times.
Ms Cannon added: “Our analytics courses aim to ensure students have the right foundational knowledge about data practices and uses, so they can apply those skills using any technology.
“While we do introduce the students to a variety of software packages and programming languages used by analysts in industry, our goal is that they be able to employ their analytics skills using any tool they might find in the workplace.”
RGU will soon be further catering for these health-specific needs by launching a postgraduate degree in business analytics for healthcare management, bringing the total number of analyticrelated courses delivered by the school to five.
Meanwhile, RGU’s Gray’s School of Art continues to strengthen its links with the northeast’s creative industries by hosting talks designed to nurture up-and-coming young talent in the region.
Cerri McDonald, managing director of
Bridge of Don marketing and communications agency Prospect 13, visited the campus during the university’s Connect and Reflect Week.
Fourth-year communication design students benefited from her motivational insights, marketing expertise and guidance on career development.
Explaining why she was so keen to get involved, Ms McDonald said: “As a marketing agency, creativity is fundamental to everything we do.
“But at the heart of our business we are 100% committed to nurturing north-east talent and improving outlooks.
“These two factors combined meant it was a no-brainer to support Gray’s School of Art by sharing some of our insights on the reality of working in our industry.”
She added: “We know design graduates are equipped with creative skills and knowledge, but those all-important soft skills such as drive, passion, communication, relationship-building and a growth mindset are vital for employers when recruiting for these roles.”
Former Gray’s School of Art student Karthik Sumil told students he landed his first design job at Prospect 13 after graduating from the art school in 2023 with a firstclass honour’s degree in communication design.
The course was the “ideal stepping stone” to a job in the creative industry,” Mr Sumil said.
He added: “I graduated from RGU armed with the design techniques and skills required to land my first job.
“But my proactive approach to building industry contacts and constantly learning and developing is what opened up opportunities.
“Hopefully, by sharing my journey it helps play a small part in building a stronger network of creatives across our region.”
Our goal is that they be able to employ their analytics skills using any tool