Organisations across Scotland have the chance to tap into a pool of emerging data talent from a host of leading universities thanks to a summer placement programme.

The Data Lab funds MSc courses across 11 Scottish universities and works alongside MBN Solutions to place students in organisations over the summer. These placements help students hone their data science skills with organisations across a range of sectors.

Both organisations have now put out a call to Scottish firms for summer data project placement opportunities.

Organisations of any shape and size are eligible to apply for the scheme and tap into Scotland’s emerging data science talent pool. So far in the programme’s history, Wood Mackenzie, CYBG, RBS, Merkle Aquila and the Scottish Government have benefited from the programme.

The deadline for applications is the end of April.

Brian Hills, Head of Data at The Data Lab, commented: “Scottish organisations are seeing the value data can bring from processes to forward-planning and there is an increasing demand for talent that can support these needs.

“Our MSc programme provides students with practical skills to support Scotland as it unlocks new potential using data, and the placement is an instrumental part of the experience. We encourage any organisation with a need to problem-solve using data science to apply for the scheme.”

Debbie Maltman, an MSc Graduate who undertook her summer placement with Volunteer Scotland last year, said the placement provided a valuable opportunity to apply the technical and soft skills learned through the course.

The placement programme also helped develop new skills and boost confidence, Maltman said, adding: “It gave me the confidence to know that the skills I learned during my course could be applied to any sector and to see the value of data-driven insights to not just an organisation, but in addressing wider Scottish issues.”

Robin Huggins, Director of Academy and Client Services at MBN Solutions, added: “This is a fantastic opportunity for organisations from across Scotland to access some of the emerging talent from our universities.

“We’re looking to build on last year’s highly successful programme and provide great opportunities for organisations of any size and scale to come forward with projects that summer placements could work on.”

To learn more about the summer placement programme and to apply, visit here.