How to Build a Strong Data Science Workforce to Meet America’s Needs

Data is critical to our everyday lives—and not just in health and life sciences. Data science is critical in practically every sector of the U.S. economy and is a particularly key skill in this age of artificial intelligence (AI). Data promotes evidence-based decision-making, helps improve efficiency, and provides better security.

Companies have expanded their use of data across the business spectrum. Yet the availability of data analysts and engineers has not kept pace. The U.S. education system has lagged in preparing students for this data-filled world, as it relies on the same courses of study that have existed for decades.

Here are three ways to expand access to data science careers:

1. Provide paid internship opportunities. The Massachusetts Life Science Center (MLSC) offers the Data Science Internship Program, the largest paid internship program of its kind in the country. MLSC provides a great model. The program focuses on increasing the availability of data science talent in the life sciences and is making strides in achieving this goal. Since 2020, the program has engaged over 180 companies and research institutions in hosting over 330 interns.

2. Create opportunities to gain data literacy and career knowledge in high school. We need to cultivate data literacy and support career learning early on. For Massachusetts, EDC leads Data Paths, an initiative that is helping teachers build students’ data literacy skills and understanding of data science careers as a key step in expanding the state’s data science workforce. Data Paths offers a free Career Hub that can be accessed by students anywhere, as well as a What’s Your Data Path? feature that helps students explore how people in different jobs use data. EDC has also led a second initiative in Massachusetts, “Innovation Pathways for Data Careers,” focused on building data science skills in high school and produced a wide array of free curricula and tools for teachers.

3. Create opportunities to gain data science career readiness skills in community colleges, as well as pathways to advanced learning. Community colleges are vital to our nation’s STEM workforce and can provide a critical entry-point to data science. But many data science jobs require higher-level degrees, and pathways and supports are needed to help community college students move on to higher-degree data science programs. With funding from the National Science Foundation, EDC has led several programs focused on supporting community colleges in developing data science programs and artificial intelligence programs that provide career-connected learning and pave the way to advanced learning.

Our country can and must build a strong data science workforce. If your institution is interested in learning more about opportunities for partnership, please contact us.