We have a number of different classes for the Data and Digital Innovation – aka PDA Data Science – at SCQF 7. For their showcase project the students are given a very broad brief, and have to design, develop and finally evaluate their choice of project.

The only specifications are that there are a minimum of 20,000 rows of data, and that the project is completed using Microsoft’s Power BI.

We have found that by allowing the students to choose their own topics, many have picked something relevant to themselves or something they care about… and some of the results are nothing short of humbling.

None of them – to the best of our knowledge – have ever used Power BI before.

Nataliia thought she’d compare the Gender Pay Gap in her home country of Ukraine to that of the UK. She’s broken it down by Age, Industry, Occupation and Region, and has kindly given us the permission to publish it here as an example.

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.
Nataliia V
Student Data and Digital Innovation