First Level 7 retail apprenticeship in Machine Learning launched

The British Retail Consortium's educational arm, BRC Learning, has partnered with Cambridge Spark, a leader in transformational data science and AI education, to develop a MSc Level qualification for advanced data analytics, funded by the Apprenticeship Levy.

The Level 7 apprenticeship in Data Science and Machine Learning aims to provide a fast-track programme for upskilling people into Machine Learning Engineer roles. The course will provide the skills that customer data analysts need to discover and identify areas in which AI solutions can be used to develop new business opportunities.

With increasing competition for data science and analyst talent and mounting pressures to fill the existing data skills gap in the sector, retailers are increasingly turning to educational programmes to boost skills in their organisation and make use of the Apprenticeship Levy. Through the partnership with Cambridge Spark, BRC Learning can now offer a full suite of levy funded data education.

New BRC courses also include:

·         Level 4 Data Analyst, apprenticeship

·         Level 3 Data and AI Professional Apprenticeship - essential data literacy and analytics skills to drive business value

·         OSS Retail Masters - A strategic leadership development programme for Senior Managers, Directors and Business Owners

·         Retail Industry and Trading Essentials for Non-Executive and Practising Executive Directors – specialist skills course focusing on all policy areas impacting retail today

·         Retail Master Negotiator – online specialist skills level courses.

·         BRC Learning Executive Leadership Challenge – a gamified, highly commercial, competitive challenge for senior leaders played in small teams

·         Inclusion Dialogue – Inclusive Leadership discussion with supporting workshop options and diagnostic

·         Customer Commerce and Customer Economics – programmes to optimise customer data use to drive business performance.

BRC will offer these courses from February 2021. Initially, all courses will be digital, using the BRC Learning's new online education platform.

Lucy Crowther, Director of BRC Learning, said:

"With automation comes data, adding to millions of pieces of data already available to retailers every day. It is one thing to have the data, but to truly use it to drive business decisions, our retailers need the skills to mine it, sort it, make sense of it and critically turn it into insight. The ability to be a data 'super user' only comes with considerable learning that includes a deep understanding of all aspects of data science and AI. I believe Cambridge Spark is the best Data Education provider who crucially are themselves data scientists. They have developed programmes (both levy and non-levy funded) that help retailers grow data and AI expertise that will gives them the right data to power their business."

Dr Raoul-Gabriel Urma, CEO, and founder of Cambridge Spark, said:

"There is an incredible untapped operational and data opportunity available within retail organisations to increase competitiveness. Through our partnership with BRC we are looking to upskill retail professionals so they can be an integral part of the digital revolution."