The Analytics Education Drive in the Philippines

Article by AAP Business Analyst, Ludilyn Pridas

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The Asian Institute of Management (AIM) recently conducted a free Master Class last January 15-17, 2018 about the application and use cases of Data Science to different fields. It was also a venue for them to provide more information and some insight about the relevance and competitiveness of their newly proposed course, the MS in Data Science (MSDS) Program. The Master Classes aimed to provide some perspective on role of Data Science in the business world today.

During the second day, AIM focused on the applications relevant to the Finance and Banking sectors. The session which was primarily conducted by the Institute’s MSDS Program Director Erika Legara, PhD. She talked about the place of data science in business and emphasized on the importance of the data scientist’s ability to communicate his/her findings to the business decision makers effectively. Let me highlight some of the things I found particularly relevant. A good data science team is crucial to leveraging on company curated data as most often than not, good amounts of historical data are left untouched or under-utilized. This is because people in the business are rarely equipped to handle data, more so transform and use it through modelling. Aside from this, it was also emphasized that analytical knowledge alone will not be enough to achieve success for the business. A data scientist should also have domain knowledge on the relevant business alongside his/her data analytics skill set and techniques. The combination of both is needed to effectively revolutionize one’s business. To sum it all, AIMs seminar was a great opportunity to get an introduction on data science and its relevance, as we know that the Philippines is now adapting to keep up with the trend.

In 2013, the Commision on Higher Education (CHED) released a memo outlining the guidelines and policies for the launching of specialized courses in business analytics targeted towards students who are taking up Business Administration and Information Technology. The goal of this endeavor is to prepare students for the big global analytics wave which will likely open up a lot of career opportunities. In fact upon the release of the memo, various schools expressed their interest to add this new program to their curriculum such as the University of the Philippines – Diliman, Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, Asia Pacific College and University of Santo Tomas, among others. The visualization below shows the list of schools that have expressed interest in launching their own Data Science and Analytics programs. (Click the visualization below to open and interact with it in a separate tab).

Similar to AIM and the abovementioned schools, the Analytics Association of the Philippines (AAP) also aims to shed light on the relevance of analytics to businesses and the overall economy. As an enabling organization, we aim to come up with a unified ecosystem in the Philippines where industry, the academe, and practitioners meet and find synergies. By helping mobilize trainings and programs for Filipinos that focus on how to upskill in analytics with strong regard for business domain knowledge, we hope to facilitate the creation of a new breed of data scientists that can really revolutionize organizations. Quoting the popular magazine-format newspaper, The Economist, the world’s most valuable resource is no longer oil but data. In line with this and the objective of the AAP, we serve to help individuals optimize their practice and remain well-informed about the developments of the field to make their work more valuable to them and their respective organizations. We hope to complement the efforts of AIM and other educational institutions as we take on the same objective of upskilling Filipinos. The AAP undertakes this mission through massive and inter-regional projects throughout the Philippines, hopefully reaching the seams, and making it available to all who are eager to learn.

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.

Analytics Education = Out with the Old, In with the New

Having spent the last 5 years talking about analytics here in the Philippines, it seems we are finally at a place where a significant percentage of leaders and decision-makers are now aware that they need a good analytics strategy for their business to succeed.

Now that we are finally at point where people in power get, we have another challenge. Just because they get it doesn’t mean they know how to enable it.

In fact most of our current solutions to educate and train when it comes to analytics seems to be a bit old fashioned. Analytics evolves much faster then traditional education models can keep up with.

In fact, most people learn analytics on the job. Some attend public trainings. A few receive practical experience while in school. Very few learn in vocational or apprentice like programs.

Almost all the training is done in person, with an expert teaching in a classroom setting.

Most of the training is done by talking theory and doing some exercises on mock data.

Due to data privacy issues, few companies allow employees to get up skill training while using their own data and towards solving real business problems.

To compound the challenge, there are a precious few analytics experts to go around to meet the surging demand for analytics education and training.

When I do the math… 500,000 Filipinos need analytics training in the next 5 years to ensure we can deal with the wave of digital transformation the world in undergoing.

So now what?

It’s easy to say online training is the solution. And it is part. But just filming a training and reshowing it loses a lot of the impact. When learners aren’t engaged they struggle to absorb most of the content.

So live online classes that have an interactive ability are key.

Harnessing the power of YouTube and looking at things like TED talks give us some ideas.

Formal corporate trainings can be supplemented and eventually superseded by meet-up groups and more informal learning sessions.

Formal education has to transition more from the class room and to on the job.

Right now, students spend 90% of their time in classroom and less then 10% on the job working with real data solving real problems. Many schools struggle with educating on analytics topics because they don’t have qualified professors.

Lets flip that around. Let the subject matter experts working in the field do more of the education in the workplace.

That’s just three ideas; Interactive Analytics Talks, Optimizing Meet Up Groups and much more dynamic On the Job training.

What else can we do to shot for the moon?

Analytics Training – DMAIPH offers a wide range of analytics centric training solutions for professionals and students via public, in-house, on-site, and academic settings. We tailor each training event to meet the unique needs of the audience. If you need empowerment and skills enhancement to optimize the use of analytics in your organization, we are here to help. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly to set up a free consultation to learn which of our DMAIPH analytics training solutions is best for you.

Working on an Analytics Internship/OJT program…

400 Hour DMAIPH Data Science & Analytics OJT/Internship Program

The end goal is to develop a DSA strategy presentation for manager. Start out by getting to know the physical data environment, the tools being used and the main players in the business. Move on to assessing the maturity of the analytics culture and it’s use of DSA talent, techniques and technology. Design a business dashboard prototype and deliver a compelling data story to improve management reporting.

Three tracts for interns… HR Analyst, Business Analyst and Data Analyst.

Interns will spend 60% of the internship at the place of business and 40% of the internship in a classroom. This will facilitate the application of theory to real business data in order to help managers get a better idea of the what’s working and what’s nor when it comes to the data in their business.

Based on the APEC DSA Competencies which is close to being adopted by 20+ countries across Asia and the Pacific as a guide for current and future DSA training efforts.

Week 1 – Fundamentals of DSA

APEC DSA Competencies
Company Background
How This Internship Works

Exercise: LinkedIn Profile

Company Deliverable: Company/Organization DSA Profiles

Week 2 – DSA in the Philippines

Putting Data into Context
Emerging Trends
Cultures of Innovation

Exercise: Glossary of Data

Company Deliverable: Defining Where the Cutting Edge Is

Week 3 – Data Management & Governance

Data Management Macro View
Data Governance
Information Security

Exercise: Data Survey

Company Deliverable: Info Security Risk Assessment

Week 4 – Data Analytics Methods & Algorithms

Data Management Micro View
The Right Data
Machine Learning

Exercise: Who’s Who of Data in the Business

Company Deliverable: Data MVPs

Week 5 – Data Science Engineering Principles

Data Map
Identify Right App
Feedback Loop

Exercise: A Visio Data Map

Company Deliverable: Map of Business Data Lake

Week 6 – Computing and Computational Thinking

MS Excel
Query Data
Programming Languages

Exercise: Top 10 Excel Tips Video

Company Deliverable: Top Ten Data Tips

Week 7 – Statistical Techniques

Getting IT
Analytics Maturity Model
Predictive Analytics Model

Exercise: Flight Risk Model

Company Deliverable: Results of Maturity Assessment

Week 8 – Operational Analytics

Management Reporting
Public Big Data
Business Dashboards

Exercise: Tableau Public Mock Up

Company Deliverable: Business Dashboard Prototype

Week 9: Data Visualization & Presentation

Data Visualization
Enchantment
Data Storytelling
Exercise: D.R.A.P.S
Company Deliverable: A Business Data Story

Week 10 – Final Project/DSA Strategy Presentation

My goal is to create and promote a hybrid approach that offers both supplemental education and hands on experience. We need to get past the days of having OJT do data encoding or simple research projects… they need skills that they can apply day one.

They need it, we need it, the country needs it.

Any ideas or suggestions? This is just the first draft.

Hoping to roll this out in the next month or so.

Analytics Education – Facilitating a mastery of the fundamentals of analytics is what DMAIPH does best. As a key parnter of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation’s Project DARE initative, DMAIPH champions the use of using data. All across the world, companies are scrambling to hire analytics talent to optimize the big data they have in their businesses. We can empower students and their instructors with the knowledge they need to prepare for careers in data science and analytics. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly so we can set a guest lecturer date, On-the-Job Training experience or other analytics education solution specifically tailored to your needs.

The Analytics Puzzle for Higher Education in the Philippines

When you look at the picture on the box of puzzle pieces, you generally think it won’t be so hard to fit all the pieces together. But then when you lay out all the pieces and connect them one by one it can often feel like a sense of this is a lot harder then I thought.

In many way, that’s how I feel about efforts to date regarding the teaching of Data Science and Analytics in the Philippines. The end product is clear, just about all the 2,000+ HIEs across the Philippines offering some level of DSA education to a wide range of students.

Everyone agrees that we need more education to meet both the high current demand and the expected huge future demand for DSA talent for both domestic and global consumption. We have seen a lot of awesome initiatives popping up trying to train educators to teach DSA subjects and have seen a number of industry-academe partnerships. CHED has even set aside significant resources to promote the training of faculty and the incentive to offer DSA programs.

So things are going well, but when you look at the simple math of how many educators need to be training in the very near future, some like me get a little concerned. Current programs train a few dozen here and maybe a few hundred there, bit by bit. But if you need thousands then current efforts are just going to come up short.

What we need is a unified front. Bringing together all the interested parties, many of whom are already working on this issue, is the only way to get to critical mass. By my estimation we should be looking at training 5,000 educators in the next 3 years. And a one week overview is just the start. To really become adept at teaching DSA, educators need an apprenticeship that lasts months to really learn the tools of the trade like data storytelling, business intelligence and predictive analytics.

And that is just the faculty… when you think about the 100,000s of students who need to taught DSA, you start to see that this puzzle is gonna take a lot more effort to complete then it may have looked like at first.

So thats where I am at now… both evangelizing and empowering. Raising awareness of what the puzzle looks like when solved and why we need to solve. And empowering to build collaborations to connect the pieces faster then each puzzle expert can work on their own.

And that is exactly why I started Augment BPO.

Augment BPO. The Augment BPO Data Science and Analytics Advocacy Project (Augment BPO) is empowering BPO Companies, Executives, and Workers in the Philippines to prepare for and address the clear and present danger posed by Artificial Intelligence Chatbots (AI Chatbots) to BPO revenue growth and jobs through Data Science and Analytics strategy planning, awareness building and upskill training.

DMAIPH Analytics Education – Facilitating a mastery of the fundamentals of analytics is what DMAIPH does best. As a key parnter of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation’s Project DARE initative, DMAIPH champions the use of using data. All across the world, companies are scrambling to hire analytics talent to optimize the big data they have in their businesses. We can empower students and their instructors with the knowledge they need to prepare for careers in data science and analytics. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly so we can set a guest lecturer date, On-the-Job Training experience or other analytics education solution specifically tailored to your needs.

Why Focus on Data Analytics Competencies?

Later this week I will be attending the APEC Project DARE (Data Analytics Raising Awareness) Advisory Council in Singapore to discuss Recommended APEC Data Analytics Competencies.

Why Focus on Data Analytics Competencies?

Jobs requiring a familiarity with data analysis are forecasted to dramatically rise, resulting in a massive shortage of qualified employees. According to reports, some economies face a shortage of up to 1.5 million data analytics-enabled managers and analysts, costing billions of dollars in lost revenue annually. There is an urgent need to ensure that the future workforce is equipped with data analytics competencies to secure the jobs of tomorrow and move with ease in the labor market.

This is where Project DARE comes in. Project DARE aims to facilitate development of a data analytics-enabled workforce across the APEC region to effectively support sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. To do so, Project DARE developed a set of Recommended APEC Data Analytics Competencies which will be a resource to academic institutions and governments to align curricula, courses and programs so APEC economies are equipped to educate its workforce with the data analytics skills needed by employers in a data-driven future.

How was the Recommended Data Analytics Competencies Developed?

The Recommended APEC Data Analytics Competencies was developed through a public-private partnership with input from over 40 Advisory Group members (see Acknowledgements) comprised of distinguished business and higher education leaders who oversee data science and analytics needs for their organization and data science inter-disciplinary initiatives and curriculum. The Advisory Group was led by the private sector partner co- chairs, global skills and knowledge company Wiley and the Business Higher Education Forum (BHEF), with technical support by the EDISON (Education for Data Intensive Science to Open New Science Frontiers) Project.

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DMAIPH and Analytics Education

Facilitating a mastery of the fundamentals of analytics is what DMAIPH does best. As a key parnter of the Data Science Philippines Meetup Group, DMAIPH champions the use of using data. All across the world, companies are scrambling to hire analytics talent to optimize the big data they have in their businesses. We can empower students and their instructors with the knowledge they need to prepare for careers in analytics. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly so we can set a guest lecturer date, On-the-Job Training experience or other analytics education solution specifically tailored to your needs.

About Project DARE

Project DARE is an initiative of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation led by the United States (U.S. Department of Labor) with co-sponsorship from the governments of Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Peru, Chinese Taipei, and Viet Nam. As a project of APEC’s Human Resources and Development Working Group (HRDWG), Project DARE seeks to enable APEC workforce with the data analytics competencies demanded by employers today and to secure the jobs of tomorrow.

My Blog Post on the Analytics of Measurement and Evaluation

I recently had the honor of writing a blog post for American University’s Measurement & Evaluation program.

The post is about using a business analytics approach to “effectively evaluate projects, programs and processes.” This is in a response to the fact that it is becoming increasingly essential to use big data and analytics to ensure organizational success.

Here is the link: http://programs.online.american.edu/msme/resource/measurement-and-evaluation-analytics

It is my hope that I can inspire readers to look for ways to bring new data into their projects, programs and processes, blend it with current data, provide more dynamic analysis and share more impactful results.

I will also be doing a webinar early next year entitled Its Not Longer Just Enough To Know. Where I will highlight some techniques and technologies that I use to empower more data-driven decision-making.

Facilitating a mastery of the fundamentals of analytics is what I do best.

All across the world, companies are scrambling to hire analytics talent to optimize the big data they have in their businesses. Though my company DMAIPH, I can equip students and their instructors with the knowledge they need to prepare for careers in analytics. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly so we can set a guest lecturer date, internship, on-the-job training experience or other analytics education solution specifically tailored to your needs.

Training Analysts: And The Tasks Keep Getting Bigger

Wrote this over two years ago… its still relevant!

When I first came to the Philippines in 2012 to set up an analytics training business I was ahead of my time. No one was really talking about analytics and most people didnt really get what I was trying to do.

I saw a huge opportunity to be at the forefront of a shift in services that would propel the Philippines forward as a place where analytics outsourcing would be successful.

After a few years of doing seminars, speaking engagements and training manily to build awareness, things are really start pick up steam.

Attendance is way up in our public training offerings, I am getting invited to more and more schools and companies are starting to really look for analytics training to both enhance their own decision-making as well as exploring offering analytics as a service.

This goes hand in hand with a memo by CHED (Commission on Higher Education) published two years ago that schools are now trying to figure out how to implement.

I have worked with a few schools already by doing a one day overview of how to meet some of the course objectives outlined in this memo, and now I am looking to expand that to a five day training. Here is what it might look like.

This five day training will need to be eventually expanded into a semester/trimester long class.

Which is precisely what I had in mind when I did my very first Introduction to Analyitics training back in May 2012.

And now that dozens of schools need this, so my tasks keep getting bigger. I couldn’t be happier.

Analytics Education – Facilitating a mastery of the fundamentals of analytics is what DMAIPH does best. As a key parnter of the Data Science Philippines Meetup Group, DMAIPH champions the use of using data. All across the world, companies are scrambling to hire analytics talent to optimize the big data they have in their businesses. We can empower students and their instructors with the knowledge they need to prepare for careers in analytics. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly so we can set a guest lecturer date, On-the-Job Training experience or other analytics education solution specifically tailored to your needs.

Implementing the CHED Memo on Business Analytics > How DMAIPH Can Help

In 2013, the Commission for Higher Education (CHED), the governing body for Higher Education in the Philippines, published a memorandum requiring accredited colleges and universities to establish a Business Analytics Specialization Program for Business Admin and IT students.

The objectives of the business analytics specialization track aims to provide Filipino students the skills needed for different forms of Analytics namely, Descriptive, Predictive and Prescriptive Analytics. This track enables students to identify opportunities and implement or enact solutions for which these analytics can be used to solve business problems to aid intelligence and informed business decision-making.

One of the analytics training solutions that DMAIPH offers, is partnering with schools on curriculum and instruction enhancement. We are also more than willing to meet with you to explore possibilities of collaboration.

The key areas DMAIPH can assist with are as follows:

Consultation with Key School Administration Decision Makers
Initial Faculty Training via a 1-Day hands on workshop
Building Student Awareness by speaking at student events
Guest Speaking in classrooms and academic events
OJT Opportunities with DMAI and out partner companies
Fresh Grad Training for analysts looking to start their career
Provide a textbook for business analytics based on the CHED memo

DMAIPH is adapt at providing staff and students with an overview of the current trends in business analytics that drives today’s businesses, as well as providing an understanding on data management techniques that can help organizations achieve their business goals and address operational challenges.

The need for more analysts and professionals with analytics training in the Philippines continues to quicken at an amazing rate. On any given day you can see over 2,000 analyst jobs posted on jobstreet.com

The demand of analytics talent in the Philippines far outweighs the demand. Even with specialized tracks like the Fundamentals of Business Analytics starting up over the Philippines, more needs to be done.

DMAIPH is uniquely positioned to help schools deliver on CHED’s memo and help supply the demand Filipino businesses, BPOs and Call Centers are asking for.

We have been doing analytics training, consulting and outsourcing in the Philippines since May 2012. In addition, DMAIPH has helped over two dozen companies bring more analytics into their business and have trained over 100 batches of analytics trainees.

All across the world, companies are scrambling to hire analytics talent to optimize the big data they have in their businesses. We can empower students and their instructors with the knowledge they need to prepare for careers in analytics. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly so we can set a guest lecturer date, On-the-Job Training experience or other analytics education solution specifically tailored to your needs.

Analytics In Action: How DMAIPH Uses Data to Drive Decision-Making

Awhile back, I was a guest speaker for a business analytics class at the College of St. Benilde. I had been asked to talk about how DMAIPH uses analytics in our business.

When it comes to sizing up an analytics project, I tend to use a methodology I learned from a couple Stanford professors several years ago. It is pretty simple concept that is applicable across all kinds of projects; (1) identify the data you will need, (2) bring it in to your analysis tools, aka inventory it, (3) and then integrate it into a larger story or context.

I tend to use MS Excel for the majority of my analysis, but when I need to build a map, or prototype a business dashboard or need some high-powered visuals to present my data, I use Tableau Public. In the past I have used a wide range of analytics tools, but they are always specific to a certain type of data I needed to access.

I am going to show three examples of how we use analytics:

How we built and maintain a competitive landscape looking at the current trends in analytics here in the Philippines. Who is using what, what they are doing and where the talent is coming from.
How we built and update a demographic profile based on resume and LinkedIn data for the various types of analyst jobs we are currently employing.
And, how we built a business dashboard using Google Drive for the management team to use when looking at who on the team to coach and what to coach them on. It’s a simple way to share KPIs.

In all three cases I will explain how we identified the data we needed, how we inventory it so we can look at historical trends as well as a current snapshot and how we integrate these analytics solutions into our business strategy. It should be a pretty good presentation followed by some great Q+A! 