SAS says more than 165,000 information technology professionals in 112 countries have qualified for its internationally recognised certification in business analytics and related skills since it established the programme 20 years ago. “Workplace demand for such skills has never been higher and the pace of demand is fast increasing,” says Ian Edwards, head of academic outreach at SAS Australia and New Zealand. “As we say at SAS, ‘analytics is an essential part of the fourth industrial revolution’,” says Edwards. “As organisations of every type and size increasingly acknowledge their data to be their most important asset,having the analytics skills that can best capitalise on that asset is critical.” Recognising that SAS skills are keenly sought by employers, he says over 30 Australian and New Zealand universities teach with SAS analytics technologies and education materials as part of their degree courses. Many of these courses give students the opportunity to qualify for either SAS Global Certification or joint Certification credentials, including those at Massey University, Auckland University of Technology, La Trobe University, UTS,, University of South Australia, James Cook University, University of Queensland, Swinburne University, UNSW and Melbourne Business School. He says certification courses available range from data engineering through business intelligence, predictive analytics and machine learning. The benefits of the certification extend long beyond satisfactory completion of a course and employment in, or promotion to, a data scientist role,he states. “All our SAS graduates are listed in the SAS Certified Professionals Directory. This is a public registry which is accessed by organisations and recruitment agencies seeking to fill high-paying analytics jobs in a market where demand significantly outstrips supply.” Get the latest on digital transformation: Sign up forCIO newsletters for regular updates on CIO news, career tips, views and events.Follow CIO New Zealand on Twitter:@cio_nz Send news tips and comments todivina_paredes@idg.co.nz@divinap Related content brandpost Sponsored by Freshworks When your AI chatbots mess up AI ‘hallucinations’ present significant business risks, but new types of guardrails can keep them from doing serious damage By Paul Gillin Dec 08, 2023 4 mins Generative AI brandpost Sponsored by Dell New research: How IT leaders drive business benefits by accelerating device refresh strategies Security leaders have particular concerns that older devices are more vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. By Laura McEwan Dec 08, 2023 3 mins Infrastructure Management case study Toyota transforms IT service desk with gen AI To help promote insourcing and quality control, Toyota Motor North America is leveraging generative AI for HR and IT service desk requests. By Thor Olavsrud Dec 08, 2023 7 mins Employee Experience Generative AI ICT Partners feature CSM certification: Costs, requirements, and all you need to know The Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification sets the standard for establishing Scrum theory, developing practical applications and rules, and leading teams and stakeholders through the development process. By Moira Alexander Dec 08, 2023 8 mins Certifications IT Skills Project Management Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe