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SAS offers Africa's learners free access to e-learning portal

By , ITWeb
Africa , 02 Jul 2020

Enterprise software and data analysis firm SAS is offering its customised e-learning portal, Software Certified Young Professionals free of charge to any interested student currently enrolled at a university or higher degree-granting institution.

The company said it is mindful of the ever-increasing demand for qualified data scientists.

The ultimate goal, says Andre Zitzke, SAS Manager: Global Academic Programmes, is to help any interested student leave university with working SAS knowledge and accreditation.

According to information supplied by the company enrolement in the Certified Young Professionals programme gives students access to e-learning materials and additional video content, the SAS software necessary for the course, mock exam examples for the certification exams and a choice of five learning paths, including Basic Programming, Advanced Programming, Statistics, Machine Learning and Data Visualisation.

Students can choose one, some or all of the courses, although not many take on all five, said Zitzke.

The only cost to the students is the cost of data, as this is a cloud-based course and internet access is required.

SAS explains that at the end of each course, the students can opt to write the certification exam for the course.

The courses and exams are independently administered by Pearson Vue, and the credentials earned immediately distinguish the students as having a globally recognised qualification.

Pearson Vue hosts a database of SAS-certified people, which students can opt to be listed on once they’ve passed the certification exam, and successful students also receive a digital badge they can use on social media to promote their market-ready skills.

Usually, the certification exam is written at a nearby SAS office or Pearson Vue venue, but because of the current COVID-19 circumstances, SAS has made it possible for students to write the exam at home until the end of July 2020 for free.

SAS stated: “A recent social media campaign drew interest from more than 1,300 individuals across Africa – including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Algeria, Morocco, Ethiopia, South Africa, Cameroon, Tunisia, Zambia, and Uganda. Such is the weight of the certification that Stellenbosch University has made it a part of their Financial Risk Management course. Educators can also benefit from the programme by joining the SAS Certification for Educators and adding to their qualifications.”

In June 2020 during the SAS Global Forum 2020, SAS co-founder and CEO Jim Goodnight warned that going forward, data scientists and business analysts will have to re-evaluate their models to prepare for a far different landscape in the future.

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