Preparing students for jobs in business analytics and data science

Daniela Petrachi may only be graduating from Concordia this week, but she already has a job. She credits a certification in business analytics for her employment.

Last week, Petrachi and 39 other students from the John Molson School of Business received the JMSB-SAS Joint Certification in Business Analytics.  

Krzysztof Dzieciolowski, a part-time professor in the Department of Supply Chain and Business Technology Management, helped develop the program by championing the creation of a partnership between JMSB and SAS, the world’s leading analytical software company. The program was launched in the spring of 2016 and is the only such undergraduate program in Quebec.

“There has been a shortage of analytical talent in Canada and it is increasingly difficult to recruit, train and retain analytics professionals in the dynamic growing field of data mining and big data,” says Dzieciolowski. “This partnership helps bridge the gap.”

Dzieciolowski says the certification has attracted enormous interest from students and has boosted enrolment in the school’s Business Technology Management (BTM) program. “There is an exploding demand for analytical talent,” he says. “and the certification is opening doors to many career opportunities.”

Petrachi, who is working as a data engineer and consultant at CGI says she is already putting her SAS skills to use.

“I am required to use SAS on the job. The close partnership between SAS and JMSB allowed me to learn the statistical software as part of my bachelor degree, making me a more attractive candidate in the work force.”

Petrachi hopes to one day become a lead data scientist in the advanced analytics department.