MDEC’s Data Star to produce 20,000 data professionals by 2020

Datuk Yasmin Mahmood, CEO of MDEC

Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) is accelerating the growth of data professionals in Malaysia with its Data Star programme.

A public-private initiative, Data Star is a data science finishing school in Kuala Lumpur, designed to fast track the development of world-class data professionals.

Participants will undergo a paid six-month programme that includes two months of intensive data science enablement and mentorship with experienced data scientists and placement at industry partners.

The programme is curated in accordance with the Data Professional Skills Framework, a platform that supports data and analytics knowledge development with focus on three primary scopes: data engineer, data analyst and data scientist.

“So far the country has produced 6,000 data professionals and we are confident that we will achieve 20,000 high-quality data professionals by 2020,” said MDEC chief executive officer Datuk Yasmin Mahmood at the launch during the Big Data Week Asia 2017 in Kuala Lumpur.

Organised by MDEC, Big Data Week Asia 2017 is a week-long event that features international speakers of various expertise, and events that focuses on building a data driven Asean.

Data Star is a joint effort between Asean Data Analytics eXchange (ADAX), MDEC and several industry players namely Kasatria, Fave, Tapway, Datalynx, GHL, Celcom, Leo Burnett and Quadatics.

“The Data Star programme is a testament to MDEC’s commitment to develop a robust Big Data Analytics ecosystem; in line with Malaysia’s vision to position itself as a data driven nation,” added Yasmin.

Graduates with PhD, Masters or Bachelors Degree in Math/Stats, Computer Science, Actuarial Science, Engineering, Economics or Science are encouraged to apply.

“We are confident that Data Star programme will not only accelerate the growth of data professionals for Malaysia, but also produce world-class talent that suit the demands of the digital world,” said ADAX chief executive officer Sharala Axryd.

“We look forward to working with renowned industry players to further develop the skill-sets necessary to tackle big data head-on. It is these partnerships with MDEC, ADAX and industry players that will drive the Data Driven Asean agenda successfully,” said Axryd.

For more information on Data Star, visit adax.asia/datastar.