The demand-supply gap in the data science field has translated into a huge opportunity for freshers and mid-level professionals looking to transition to artificial intelligence and advanced analytics, across industries like IT, finance, healthcare and e-commerce.
However, Sri Lanka is not yet producing the requisite quality and numbers of skilled workers to take advantage of this. New talent development approaches are urgently needed if Sri Lanka is to turn its abundant youth dividend into a productive resource.
Determined to provide a strong foundation to help Sri Lanka build a robust and scalable platform to generate quality talent in the field of Data Science, SLASSCOM’s Capacity Forum recently held a webinar to equip the next generation of data scientists with the requsite knowledge and tools .
SLASSCOM Board Director and Head of the Capacity Forum Mr.Nishan Mendis stated: “Unlike traditional fields of study, data science is still fresh, and the world is yet to fully grasp its importance. Additionally, it is a tough area to excel in due to its multidisciplinary nature, which involves mathematics, statistics, computer science and domain knowledge, among others. While it is not a volume-based field, it generates substantial revenue and is driven by skill and quality, making it a highly competitive field quality-wise but also much sought-after.
He further explained that Sri Lanka is currently not fully equipped to face the precise challenges data science poses in terms of adequate skills and knowledge access and training, and a varied and experienced talent pool. The nation currently has to compete with countries that have the infrastructure and resources to scale up overnight, but whilst these challenges remain, it has become vital for the country to address the depth of skills rather than volume in order to be competitive on the global stage. “We believe this is precisely why the industry should work closely with universities and other educational institutions. Partnering with them and working closely with students and academia at an early stage would, therefore, give the industry an edge,” he emphasized.
Rohan Fernando Associate Director, Specialised Solutions at Acuity Knowledge Partners explained that through undergraduate research mentoring, Sri Lanka’s goal is to catch up with global competition in data science. As such, this initiative undertaken by SLASSCOM’s Capacity Forum along with volunteers from Acuity Knowledge Partners mainly aims to provide undergraduate students with research areas that have been identified by the industry as modern and trending, thereby helping data science students work on fundamental research problems the industry is trying to solve.
Speaking on the importance of this approach, Dr. G.P. Lakraj from the Department of Statistics of the University of Colombo said: “Providing the opportunity for students to solve real industry-related problems for their final year research projects is an important task. It can boost critical thinking and problem-solving skills of students to above average within a short period of time.”
Adding to these comments, Dr. Tiloka S. de Silva from the Department of Decision Science at the University of Moratuwa said: “This early engagement has helped the students greatly, not only by preparing them for the industry, but also with keeping them engaged with their academic work, as the relevance of what they are learning is constantly reinforced. We, as a faculty, also gain from these continued interactions, as we are able to ensure that the programme we offer is aligned with the rapidly changing requirements of the industry. Data science is a field that shows tremendous scope for growth; we hope that we can realize this potential by continuing to work closely with the industry.”
The ultimate agenda of SLASSCOM is in imparting solid teaching to a new generation of computer scientists, data scientists, and machine learning practitioners, not just to address the most pressing challenges but to also have exportable talent that the country can ‘share’ with the world.