The Data Lab has recently launched the third cohort of MSc programmes, which includes collaborations with 11 universities from across Scotland including Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling and the West of Scotland. As part of this collaborative programme, students get the opportunity to be part of Scottish Industry and gain hands-on experience by completing a paid three-month industrial placement for their dissertation project.
In 2016/17, with funding from the Scottish Funding Council and the European Social Fund, 90 MSc students were funded and more than 50 students got a paid industrial placement with Scottish organisations for the summer.
Following two successful years, The Data Lab is now being funded to expand the MSc scholarship programme to 130 students for 2017/18, and therefore we are now looking for an agency to find and coordinate the placements for our new cohort and help us to contribute to students’ journey to start a career in Data Science in Scotland.
Given the increase from last year and the scale of the programme, we are inviting proposals from suppliers to facilitate placements for all these students. Please note this call is for a two-year contract (the second-year subject to confirmation in March 2018).
WHAT IS EXPECTED
The goal will be to achieve a geographic spread around the country with at least 50 placements in Glasgow, Stirling and the South West of Scotland.
Placements will normally run for the duration of three months and will receive at least minimum wage in Scotland. They should be designed for students completing one of The Data Lab 2017/18 MSc programmes and must be focused in the field of data science, analytics, artificial intelligence and other related fields.
The successful agency will be the lead liaison with the placement providers until the placements begin. This includes providing suitable guidance about timelines, application processes, interviews and all other requirements. The successful organisation will also review all placement vacancies for quality before submitting to The Data Lab.
Please refer to the MSc work placements procurement brief and the terms and conditions for further details on what is expected of this project, including timelines, budget, etc.
APPLICATION PROCESS
If you are interested, please submit your proposal to skills@thedatalab.com by 17:00 Tuesday 4th July 2017.
The proposal should include:
- Cost (inc. VAT);
- Brief outline of the methodology for how you will meet the objectives and timescales described below;
- Brief profile of similar work that you have undertaken;
- Names and summary of experience for those working on the project.
A decision will be made and communicated to you by 17:00 on Friday 7th July.