Data Science Accelerator - Mentor

Description

The Data Science Accelerator is a capability building programme for analytical staff that helps build their confidence, and provides experience of exploring a business challenge.

Key to the success of the accelerator is the role of the mentor.  Every accelerator project is assigned a mentor who provides support throughout the programme.  As a mentor, your role is to help participants explore their problem, encourage them to try out their ideas and potentially develop a prototype.

Being a mentor is a valuable way to build leadership, communication and critical thinking skills as well as raising your profile.  It can be a means to demonstrate and develop your skills in areas where your current role may not.

We know the prospect of mentoring may be daunting and you might not think you have enough experience, however mentoring is about so much more than technical skills as this quote from one of 2022 mentors shows:

“My role typically involved acting as a sounding board or ‘critical friend’ to try and narrow-down the focus to delivering a data product that would solve a real problem and question – helpfully, I hope – the assumptions on which the work was being built.  Performing that role was a very valuable experience as it has helped me reflect on my own ways of working.”

If your application is successful and you are accepted as a mentor, you will be required to commit around 0.5 days per week to the accelerator from September.  This would include providing direct support to participants (online/hybrid), attending mentor meetings (online) and 2 in-person events in Edinburgh.

Who can apply?

Mentoring is open to staff employed directly by a producer of Official Statistics.  You should be in a role that needs a high degree of analytical skills or are employed in one of the analytical professions.  This includes analysts, statisticians, economists, operational researchers and social researchers, anyone working in digital analytics, data or information management, working as an archivist or in the geospatial profession.

How to apply

Upon registering above, you will be sent a further email containing the application form to your registered email address.  This must be completed and submitted by 3 August 2023.

Additional information

This programme is delivered in partnership with The Data Lab and is managed by Scottish Government, Public Health Scotland, National Records of Scotland and Registers of Scotland.