This course is available through the Springboard initiative. If you would like to apply through this initiative visit www.springboardcourses.ie. The analysis and interpretation of data to address the problems of business and society is an area experiencing massive growth. Diverse areas such as insurance, retail, sports, finance, green technology, pharmaceutical and medical and the government and public policy sectors are all looking for individuals with skills in analysing the ‘big data’ they are confronted with and helping them make management decisions. The programme will equip you to enter the world of data analytics through building a foundation of strong statistical knowledge, developing problem-solving skills for business analysis, and helping you understand and use business data to deliver better decision-making. This higher diploma will give you the technical skills in areas like statistics, programming, database management and web mining in addition to business skills such as communication that will help you make an impact and equip you for a wide range of roles. The programme also includes a career bridge module which will build your job seeking and personal career management skills to enable you to enter this new area of job opportunity. As a graduate of this course you will be able to: * Develop core skills to carry out effective data analysis utilising descriptive and inferential statistics within a business context * Solve real business problems using generally accepted practices in the field of business analysis supported by the choice and application of appropriate data analysis tools * Develop technical skills to enable learners to process multiple datasets using relevant modelling, programming, data storage, and computational techniques * Communicate effectively the results of data analysis to technical and non-technical audiences * Apply analytical thinking techniques, communication, and interaction skills to support decision making and address business requirements * Apply data-mining and knowledge discovery techniques to process datasets from multiple diverse data sources

The skills you learn on this course will enable you to work as a data and statistical analyst and technical strategist both individually and in a collaborative group environment. This course has been developed in partnership with industry and reflects the real needs of companies in the ICT sector and will enable the successful graduate to avail of these opportunities.