The AAP Analytics Internship Matching Program

Innovating the Data Science & Analytics Internship Experience in the Philippines.

The Analytics Association of the Philippines will offer a Data Science and Analytics Internship matching program for Filipino students and employers. The AAP will serve as a conduit and catalyst bridging theory and application to ensure value to the company as well.

Our program has been developed to address 3 current challenges facing students and employers when it comes to data science and analytics themed internships:

• students are often given menial tasks that do not apply knowledge / learned theory
• mechanisms do not address disconnect between areas of interest and areas of need
• companies are not able to effectively identify parts of the value chain that can be assigned to interns while causing no substantial risk to the business’ operations

By enrolling in the AAP DSA Internship Matching Program, students will be matched with employers that provide opportunities to learn and practice DSA skills that are in high demand in the workforce. Students can also be fast tracked for employment post-graduation by their match in a more continuous process.

By enrolling in the AAP DSA Internship Matching Program, employers will be matched with students that are committed to learning DSA skills that can add value to the employer’s business as well as provide a more seamless path to career placement.

Employers will also be encouraged to take a more active role in providing, business cases, data sets and resource speakers for the programs the students they are matched with come from. By being more involved with their students before and after the internship, the bridge between academia and industry will be optimized.

To this end we have developed the following process that will kick off on January 15,2018:

• Students apply for OJT matching with AAP
• Employers apply for OJT matching with AAP
• AAP Matches students and employers based on profiles
• AAP conducts orientation for students and employers
• AAP provides online resources to both students and employers

The AAP will assess partner schools and their respective tracks and courses that could work on analytics (end-to-end of value chain) The AAP will also define areas of expertise of each program based on the APEC DSA Competencies and the AAP DSA Framework. Students will be interviewed and vetted.

Additionally, the AAP will provide a matrix of industry partners and corresponding needs (with parts of the value chain, doesn’t have to be siloed, can cover multiple parts)

As for the employer, they will:

• Define problems/needs (could be something students can work on parallel to an existing team effort)
• Define final output (paper/study, running program, a presentation, proposal, working product, solution)

As for the schools, they will:

• Provide 1-2 professors to assist in mentorship
• Conduct processing of internship experience to give feedback to AAP

Overall our goal is to offer a unique value proposition by facilitating internships with a view of work as an end-to-end process that involves deep-diving into a specific problem or project of the company. The companies enrolled in our program get real value out of internships besides serving as a marketing tool.

With our network of industry partners, prestigious academic institutions and analytics thoughts leaders, the AAP is well positioned to facilitate significant change in the way analysts and data scientists are born.

Our Analytics Internship Matching Program will go a long way in providing tomorrow’s workforce with in demand skills that employers covet, which in turn will allow the Philippines to be a world leader in analytics talent.

Most of the credit for the content of this post goes to Mel Awit, the AAP Analytics Manager. 

DMAIPH is a founding member of the Analytics Association of the Philippines (AAP.PH) and specializes in arming the Data-Driven Leader with the tools and techniques they need to build and empower an analytics centric organization. Analytics leadership requires a mastery of not just analytics skill, but also of nurturing an analytics culture. We have guided thousands of Filipino professionals to become better analytics leaders. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly to discuss a uniquely tailored strategy to ensure you are the top of your game when it comes to Analytics Leadership.