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Essential Data Skills for Work Bootcamp

This free 3-day online bootcamp in data science is for those eager to start their journey. It equips participants with foundational skills essential across various professions, addressing the high demand for data scientists in the UK. Open to anyone living or working in the Tay Cities Region, with a focus on encouraging women to apply. This region covers the following areas - Angus, Dundee, North East Fife and Perth & Kinross.

Course information

Certification:

Broadly comparable to SCQF Level 5

Duration:

  • Online tutor-led course
  • Duration 3 days
  • 3 x Fridays 10.00am to 2.30pm
  • 6, 13 and 20 March 2026
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Who is this course for?

  • This course is for individuals interested in entering the field of data science but unsure where to start. It provides foundational skills essential for various professions, addressing the soaring demand for data scientists in the UK. Open to residents or workers in Angus, Dundee, North East Fife and Perth & Kinross, particularly encouraging women to apply to close the gender gap in the digital technology sector. Supported by Data Skills for Work at The Data Lab, and funded by the Scottish Government.

What qualifications will I gain?

  • Data literacy
  • Data ethics and governance
  • Data analytics
  • Statistical software
  • Data visualisation

What will I learn on the course?

This course is intended to introduce aspects of Data Science to those already working with data. By the end of this course, you will understand:

  • what data is and how to assess the quality of a dataset;
  • how to interpret data presented in visual form;
  • how to create your own visualisations, and why;
  • how to create and interpret descriptive statistics;
  • and, some of the legal and ethical considerations that must be taken into account when working with data.

Day 1Interpreting Data
  • Types of data
  • Features of data
  • Spotting errors

Day 2Data Visualisation
  • Tools
    • Excel - standard features - graphs and charts
  • Analyse data sets
  • Focus on interpretation e.g.
    • Using graphs with context and brainstorm what these mean
    • What conclusions we can draw
    • What further analysis they suggest
  • Introduction to statistics and how to interpret them
  • Data Protection and Legislation

Day 3Data Visualisation
  • Tools
    • Excel – advanced features – pivot tables, power query
    • Tableau – includes interactive dashboards
  • Analyse data sets
  • Creating and explaining summary statistics in Excel
  • Using visualisations in Tableau to draw further conclusions
  • Data Ethics/Bias

Application Information

What further course options are available?

  • Signposting to appropriate FE courses and NPA Data Science courses.

How will this help my career?

  • Data Worker
  • Digital Roles