CompTIA bolsters data training

CompTIA has reacted to the growing demand for better data skills by launching a raft of certifications that users can take to improve their expertise.

The training specialist is rolling out its first data-specific credential, CompTIA Data+, this quarter and plans to add three more options early next year.

CompTIA Data+ is a data analytics certification aimed at those being given responsibility for helping firms use data to drive better decisions. It will then build on that with a more intermediate option and data analytics and systems accreditations.

“A company’s ability to use data to better inform its decision-making is often hampered because data responsibilities are disbursed across many departments and teams, each with disparate skill levels and job responsibilities,” said Tom Reilly, CompTIA’s chief product officer.

“CompTIA Data+ can help organisations better define data job roles, train their people in the most current skills, and recruit and retain the best talent.”

CompTIA is also encouraging anyone who works with data, including those in marketing, finance and operations, to take the training to improve their position in the business.

The organisation carried out research to get a sense of what was happening at a customer level and found that being able to handle data was increasingly in demand. It discovered that 60% of the companies surveyed had increased their focus on data to understand customers better, and 53% are doing so to improve day-to-day operations.

“As the use of data grows in all aspects of business operations, companies are learning that they need to develop teams with diverse and distinct skills at several levels, from a foundational understanding of the basics of data to advanced skillsets in areas such as data science and systems,” said Todd Thibodeaux, CompTIA president and CEO.

CompTIA is supporting the launch of its Data+ offering with related CertMaster learning and exam preparation resources, which include interactive e-learning and labs where people can gets hands-on, as well as study guides and an online companion tool that assesses knowledge and exam readiness.

Plans following the launch of Data+ include further certifications that will bolster a user’s ability in this area, with data science, systems and foundational knowledge all in the pipeline.

Robin E Hunt, co-founder of ThinkData Solutions and a CompTIA training partner, said users needed to have a grasp of data that went beyond presenting charts and graphs and had a deeper understanding of what was happening across the business.