As far as Miami-Dade College president Eduardo Padrón is concerned, data analytics shouldn’t be just for computer science majors.
“I really believe it applies everywhere,” Padrón said of data analytics.
Along those lines, Padrón said his administration has been working to make data analytics a requirement for every major and discipline at Miami-Dade — which is the largest community college in the nation.
“They’re gonna need it,” Padrón said of students graduating into today’s workforce.
Indeed, Padrón’s remarks — made Thursday at a forum meant to highlight the growing need for college graduates who are versed in data analytics — are echoed in a new report also released Thursday by the Business-Higher Education Forum, an organization made up of college presidents and CEOs that focuses on better alignment between higher education and the workforce.
The report — titled “Investing in America’s Data Science and Analytics Talent: The Case for Action” — cites a “fundamental disconnect” between the skills that employers desire versus the skills that graduates possess.
More specifically, the report states that, while 69 percent of employers expect candidates with data science and analytics skills — or DSA skills — to get preference for jobs at their organizations, only 23 percent of college and university leaders say their graduates will have those skills.
