What is The Data Lab Academy?

It takes more than good academic and technical skills to start your career in data science. You also need to communicate well, have real-world experience and have a good set of contacts. You need to prove that you are innovative, ethical and employable.

This is where The Data Lab Academy comes in. We offer a programme of workshops, networking events, masterclasses and a residential innovation challenge to support your professional development. The best part? It’s totally free to participate.

You participate alongside your academic studies and earn digital badges to prove your networking, employability, ethics and innovation capabilities.

Participating in the programme also allows you to apply for a paid industrial placement, which will put you in an ideal position to get the best possible graduate job.

Who can join The Data Lab Academy?

The Data Lab Academy is for anyone studying one of our approved programmes across MSc courses and integrated masters courses. Integrated masters students must be in their fourth year of study to apply.

View a list of eligible programmes, or send us an email to enquire.

Why join The Data Lab Academy?

There are so many benefits to joining The Data Lab Academy. This free programme provides you with networking and new skills, plus a variety of perks:

• More than 50 hours of relevant training across the academic year to enhance your CV. 
• Officially certificates of achievement (digital badges) that prove your skills in networking, ethics and innovation and participation in the programme.
• Access to networking and industry events. 
• An opportunity to apply for a paid industrial placement .
• Participation in our industry-sponsored Innovation Week Challenge.
• Access to masterclasses, including our most popular course on Data Ethics. 
• Access to knowledge through our Data Lab MSc Alumni and The Data Lab Community.
• Entry to Data Talent, which is Scotland’s leading data science networking eve

What funding is available?

Participation in The Data Lab Academy is 100% free for qualifying students.

We also offer a variety of scholarships to help fund your studies.

Learn more about our available scholarships.

Key benefits

How to apply – MSc students

How to apply – Integrated Masters Students

Hear from alumni of the programme…

“I was a cancer research scientist when I started my journey to become a data scientist and the support and advice I received from the Data Lab was exceptional. They supported me through every stage of the process from updating my CV and helping me prepare for my interview, to liaising with my academic supervisors at Heriot-Watt. The team also helped me identify a field of study and matched me with employers that could offer me the experience I was looking for. Their guidance played a big role in launching my data science career and helping me secure a role at a global consultancy firm as their lead data scientist.”

Rachana Patel
MSc Data Science at Heriot-Watt

“I’m thankful to The Data Lab for giving me the opportunity in the first instance to study data science, and for then subsequently arranging the MSc placement with Energy Mutual. Having completed my MSc, I’ve now secured a data analyst’s job with NCR, and for that I need to give full credit to The Data Lab and the MSc Placement Programme.”

Farheen Tamkanath
MSc Data Science at RGU

“Prior to starting my journey to become a data analyst, I was working as a fashion buyer with an international brand. I had secured my undergraduate from Strathclyde University in Finance and Entrepreneurship, but decided it wasn’t the career path I wanted to be on.

I found out about The Data Lab’s scholarship via my dissertation supervisor, and I secured a scholarship to complete a Master of Science and Financial Technology at Strathclyde. Everything was online, but I still received so much support, including regular employability sessions as well as attending the innovation week despite the disruption resulting from the pandemic.

Upon completion, I secured a three-month placement at NatWest Group as a Data Analyst, which provided me with invaluable real-world exposure to new skills and processes. It was a fantastic experience, and one I’d recommend to anyone looking for a career change.”

Gayle Raeside
MSc Science and Financial Technology at University of Strathclyde

“When I first learned about data analytics, my initial career goal was to become a data scientist. Having gained a more in-depth understanding of the industry during my time in The Data Lab’s MSc programme, I switched to data engineering.

I’d urge anyone planning to work in data to consider which of the various career paths in the industry are right for them. The support I received from The Data Lab and TVSquared was fantastic; the teams provided a great introduction to data analytics and helped me find the right internship and, eventually, full-time position.”

Tommaso Ricco
MSc Big Data at University of Stirling

Thank you to our partners of The Data Lab Academy:

The Data Lab Academy is funded by:

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