Using Cloud Technologies to Develop the Data Analysis Skills of Community College Students

The greater New York City (NYC) area is one of the world’s leading financial and cultural centers. High-tech jobs are a key driver of NYC’s place in the US economy and the need for high tech workers is growing. From 2008 to 2018, jobs in this sector rose 45%, with jobs in the data analytics category representing 30% of that total growth.

The current rate at which students graduate with skills in data analytics is not keeping pace with the demand for skilled data analytics technicians. This project aims to increase the number of students graduating with the skills necessary to enter the data analytics workforce. It will do so by improving the data analytics knowledge and skills of students at a diverse urban community college.

The project intends to increase the participation of women and individuals from communities that are not yet equitably represented in the technical workforce. It is expected that the project will help prepare students for the predicted employment opportunities and contribute to better productivity, problem solving, and effectiveness in the workplace.

Working in collaboration with the Business Industry Leadership Team at Queensborough Community College, the project team intends to enhance the ability of the College to recruit, educate, and graduate a diverse group of students to help meet regional employment needs. Participating students will be offered a summer boot camp in Data Science/Analysis, a year-long undergraduate research experience following the summer camp, and a series of workshops focused on skills for internship applications and job interviews.

To meet role models and increase their sense of belonging in Data Science/Analysis, students will also participate in a seminar series focused on Data Science/Analysis careers that will feature professionals from diverse backgrounds and from both academia and industry. The project will also offer preparation for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification.

It is expected that this initiative will lay the foundation to establish a degree program in Data Science/Analysis at Queensborough Community College. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.