The cognitive age is clearly upon us. More than $1 billion (R13 billion) in venture capital funding was put aside for cognitive technologies in 2014 and 2015. As more businesses introduce cognitive technology, spend on solutions is expected to exceed $60 billion (R 795 billion) by 2025. The main reason for this robust growth is directly related to the evolving business environment and the need for companies to adapt to new market trends. Business analytics give large companies a competitive edge, assisting them in making informed and effective decisions while improving operational efficiencies and boosting the bottom line.

With the volume of data available to organisations, both internally and externally, organisations can easily get caught up in the processing of data and lose sight of improving the decision making process. Deloitte continues to sharpen the skills of analytics professionals by bringing world class training to Africa. The Deloitte School of Analytics (DSA) brings together like-minded data professionals and companies across Africa to help them implement and take full advantage of their data analytics capabilities.

Data analysts and IT professionals across all industries will receive practical training and key insights from world-renowned analytics experts. Following the launch in February 2016 which attracted 150 data professionals across Africa, the education event will once again take place from 8 to 10 February 2017 at Deloitte in Johannesburg.

This education event is made possible by a partnership between Deloitte and TDWI, a training organisations that provides individuals and teams with a comprehensive portfolio of business and technical education and research to acquire the knowledge and skills to enhance analytical, data-driven decision making and performance. “For more than 20 years, TDWI research analysts, curriculum developers, and instructors have tracked the latest analytic technologies and trends to bring the most comprehensive, timely education to data professionals around the globe. We are thrilled to be partnering with Deloitte to bring this training to Africa,” says Meighan Berberich, president, TDWI. 

While other training programmes that focus on specific tools and technologies exist, Deloitte School of Analytics is geared towards more business-centred analytics. Deloitte Analytics Subject Matter Experts and TDWI lecturers will engage with the delegates through classroom based training, structured case study discussions, presentations and practical examples. 

“This training is extremely specialised, we took care to identify the right partner who supports our vision for the course. We chose TDWI because of their in-depth, best-practice-based information that can easily be applied to develop world-class talent across an organisation’s business and IT functions to enhance analytical, data-driven decision-making and performance,” says Wesley Govender, Director: Deloitte Analytics.

The education event will kick off with a plenary breakfast with industry experts who will give delegates an executive point of view on the importance of becoming an Insight Driven Organisation in today’s ever changing data landscape. 

Panellists will include:

• Chief analytics officer for Corporate at Barclays Africa Group Limited, Pieter Vorster.
• BMW’s head of Customer Relations and Customer Officer, Deena Govender. 
• Head of Regulatory Co-ordination and Advanced Analytics at Sanlam Limited, Lizelle Nel. 
• Subject matter expert – Insights Driven Organisation & Performance Optimisation at Deloitte Analytics, Ryan Norris. 
• Discovery Limited Group chief information security officer, Thagraj Moodley. 

Through initiatives like Deloitte School of Analytics and Data Factory, Deloitte is showing its commitment to addressing the skills shortage around data scientists in the country. 

For more information or to book your seat, visit http://www.deloitteschoolofanalytics.co.za/.