New Tableau initiative aims to make data skills – often a job of the few – into a skill for everyone

Tableau, the world’s leading analytics platform has announced a commitment to enable 10 million data learners over the next five years. Data literacy is increasingly vital to modern organizations. While 83 percent of CEOs¹ expect their organizations to be more data-driven, people often lack essential data skills with only 33 percent of employees comfortable using data analytics to support their decisions.

For organizations striving to become data-driven, hiring people to work with, interpret, analyze and make decisions with data is more important than ever. In ‘The Great Data Literacy Gap: Demand For Data Skills Exceeds Supply’², a Tableau-commissioned Forrester research study, recruiters ranked data literacy as the most in-demand skill for entry-level candidates.

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“We’re in the golden era of data and analytics. Organizations are seeing an unprecedented explosion in the availability of and access to data. Businesses know they must tap into the power of data to stay agile and respond in this rapidly changing environment. For these businesses, success depends on training and enabling everyone in their organization to use data to make better decisions,” said Mark Nelson, President & CEO, Tableau.

With demand for data skills outpacing supply, data skills are no longer exclusively essential for data scientists or technical roles — to build truly data-driven organizations, employees across the entire enterprise must be data literate. This will help companies become data-driven and strengthen the Tableau Economy – a rapidly growing ecosystem of businesses, tech partners and people leading the world’s data transformations.

This pledge accelerates Tableau’s long-standing commitment to closing the data literacy gap and will help people grow valuable, inclusive businesses, make data-driven decisions and build careers with in-demand skills. The company estimates this grows its current data education commitment by 200 percent.

“Our Tableau Academic program, university partnerships and data literacy eLearning have already reached millions of people but it’s just the beginning. We need to do so much more to meet the world’s demand for data skills,” said Nelson. “With this pledge, we’re committing to support 10 million people in learning essential skills for starting or making a dramatic change in their careers.”

Additionally, to help overcome the barriers that remain to skill-building programs, Tableau Foundation will launch a new $5 million, multi-year initiative supporting global nonprofits committed to gender equity. Grants will support organizations helping women and girls learn essential data skills, with a focus on communities facing data literacy barriers.

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Tableau will introduce new training and education opportunities and double down on existing programs to help people from all backgrounds and countries build essential data skills including:

• Expanding Tableau’s Academic Programs to provide free software licenses, eLearning and curriculum to help educators around the world teach analytics in classrooms. This program will build on and introduce new partnerships to help students learn data skills with Tableau. Since 2011, Tableau Academic programs have enabled nearly 2 million students and educators.
• Introducing a new Salesforce Data Literacy Trail, providing data skills learning opportunities powered by Trailhead, Salesforce’s free online learning platform. With Trailhead, learners can skill up for free from anywhere and earn globally recognized credentials for careers in the Salesforce and Tableau ecosystems. To date, Trailhead has helped nearly 3.5 million people learn new skills for the future of work.
• Introducing new NGO and government skilling efforts to bring virtual training and education to people around the world. Coming together with organizations like Tableau’s recently announced partnership with All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is an example of helping people across all industries use data to problem solve and make decisions.
• Expanding data education to apprenticeship programs by partnering with digital transformation and leadership training organizations to develop a new range of interactive courses designed to help organizations and individuals upskill and become more data literate.
• Expanding access to the Tableau Desktop Specialist certification through online training, certificate programs and partnerships that provide data skills training and connect candidates with jobs.
• Driving awareness of learning partners focused on equitable access to data education, mentorship and job connection including Pathstream, a leading provider of digital skills career programs that create more accessible and effective career pathways to jobs in the modern economy. In addition to technical skills, these programs provide career counseling, resume and interview support and introduce candidates to hiring managers filling open roles.
• Expanding Tableau’s Data Literacy for All program with new content to help more people learn to explore, understand and communicate with data.

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