Data Education in colleges

Learners Engaged

data education in colleges participant numbers

The interactive Power BI dashboard below will allow you to drill down into the various visualisations for further details.

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The button below will take you to a selection of our available courses

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Data Education in Colleges

The Data Education in Colleges programme has delivered data skills across SCQF levels 3 to 8 to 6,774 learners based in Edinburgh and the South East of Scotland.

Colleges in Edinburgh, Fife, Scottish Borders, and West Lothian, funded as part of the Data Skills Gateway initiative, provide the opportunity to support inclusive growth ambitions by exploring ways to target key client groups for the DDI Skills Gateway.

These will include:

Young people engaging in a School College Partnership
Individuals from various backgrounds upskilling and reskilling
Unemployed individuals
People with disabilities
Women returners

Recognition

Over the past 5 years, Data Education in Colleges has been shortlisted for 5 awards – both in Scotland and UK-wide – and won the College Development Network award for Skills Development in 2022.

2024/2025 courses open now

schools college partnership - degree pathway - SCQF Levels 6 and 7

semester one - NPA Data Science - SCQF 6

semester two- PDA Data Science - SCQF 7

PDA Level 7 Data Science is a course that's very relevant to this modern age of both technological and human advancement. I find the course quite contemporary and very useful if you not only want to increase your awareness for the exponentially increasing popularity of Data, but to also teach yourself relevant skills that could boost your businesses' profitability, value, compliance with current trends and standards, and reputation. I truly would recommend this course to anyone seeking to harness their data skills, and what's very eye-catching is that the course is fully funded! Freebies!"

Degree Pathway

Ifty A.

I'm 17, and this year was pretty exciting for me. I got to dive into data science while also working on my Scottish Highers, thanks to the Schools College Partnership. I have achieved both the National Progression Award at SCQF Level 6 and the Professional Development Award at SCQF Level 7 in Data Science. It’s a big deal because usually, students don’t get to finish these levels in just one year. The courses were great, focusing on both theory and real-world application, which is super important in the fast-changing world of data science. I stayed committed, and with my teachers' support, I passed everything on time. Now, I’m starting a full-time course for the National Certificate in Computing. This journey shows that intense, accelerated learning can work well and should be an option for other motivated students too.

Degree Pathway

Alex L.

introduction to data storytelling with excel - SCQF Level 5

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Intro to Data Storytelling

NPA Student

introduction to data science - SCQF Level 4

This course has been delivered since 2021 in conjunction with Access to Industry, and has not only been the springboard for many learners to progress to further data science courses with Data Education in Colleges, but is one of the reasons that in 2022 we picked up the Skills Development Award from the College Development Network.

The link above will take you to the Access to Industry website.

Intro to Data Science

Rik W.

Women in Data and digital innovation - scqf level 7

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Women in Data and Digital Innovation

Student

Data and digital innovation - SCQF Level 7

Great thanks to Data Education in Colleges, who taught me through Access to Industry for the opportunity to gain new skills and knowledge in the Data Science field. Especially, I would like to express my gratitude to my teacher Rik Weightman and coordinator David Hiddleston. They are passionate about what they do and engage students effectively. The PDA Data Science course, Level 7, is full of practical lessons and information related to real-life job requirements. To pass the course, you must prepare a Power BI project, which is an absolutely thoughtful approach to building students' confidence in their capacity to analyse data, create an interactive and insightful report, and be competitive in the job market. The course has driven my development and growth. I think that Data Education in Colleges has done a remarkable job.

PDA Data Science

Nataliia V.

Introduction to data and digital innovation - scqf level 6

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Introduction to Data and Digital Innovation

Student

professional learning programme

The course was a fantastic experience that not only helped me gain a better understanding of data science but thanks to Rik's clear guidance, accessible materials and positive encouragement it has made me a more confident learner in general and especially when it comes to data. I am able to use what I have learnt immediately and it has already enhanced my current role as well as created some positive future opportunities.

Professional Learning Programme - PDA Data Science

Paul.G

The way the course was created really brought data science and Power BI to life for me as I am a very visual learner. If I can create a dashboard at this level, then there's hope for everyone! I hope to develop my new found skills further by looking at more advanced Power BI courses with accreditation. Thanks Rik and David, it was a pleasure working with you.

Professional Learning Programme - PDA Data Science

Sarah L.

The various starter files for our YouTube tutorials can be found here

Introduction to Power BI College Completion Rates starter file

Intro to PBI Completion Rates starter file

Sqa Certified courses from scqf level 3 to scqf level 8

Data Education in Colleges

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Data Education in colleges