The Council has partnered with tech company, Multiverse, to build its data capabilities and enhance financial strategy.
Thurrock Council has launched training for 30 of its staff through a new Data Academy, as part of its plans to modernise processes and provide better services for residents, while helping deliver savings.
The academy will include staff from key departments of the council, such as Corporate Services, Place, Adults, Public Health, and HR. This initiative aims to foster a culture of data confidence, while supporting critical organisational activities and advancing the broader programme to modernise technologies and transform the delivery of council services.
Skills attained by the cohort will also mean the accuracy of decision making at all levels will be better-informed than ever before, reducing room for error and supporting the ambitious cost-saving drive. Increased accuracy will also mean the upskilled staff can track and surpass goals set during the Council’s era of technological transformation.
Training is being delivered by Multiverse, a tech company delivering high-quality training through applied learning, funded by the apprenticeship levy. Multiverse has trained more than 16,000 apprentices in data and digital skills since 2016.
The Data Academy programmes include ‘Data Insights for Business Decisions’ which will equip the cohort with the technical skills and knowledge to confidently navigate the data landscape and make organisational decisions informed by data.
The 13-month ‘Data Fellowship’, a level-4 apprenticeship, will upskill data-literate colleagues into high-performing analysts and data science professionals, while those completing a 13-month ‘Business Transformation Fellowship’ will learn the skills most relevant to organisational operation in the digital age, including defining objectives, exploring opportunities for digital innovation and adopting agile ways of working.
Dan Fenwick, Executive Director Corporate Services at Thurrock Council said: “By giving specialist learning opportunities for 30 of our colleagues, we’re taking a step forward to maximise the use and value of data improving our ability to make evidence based decisions benefiting Thurrock’s residents.”
Multiverse is a new tech-first institution that combines work and learning to unlock economic opportunity for everyone. It works with more than 1,500 organisations including 50+ UK councils to close critical skill gaps in the workforce in AI, data and tech, through a new kind of apprenticeship.
Gary Eimerman, Chief Learning Officer at Multiverse said: “The data Councils have access to can be crucial to the delivery of essential services that directly impact people's lives. Putting it to use can be transformative. With the launch of this new Data Academy, Thurrock Council is taking a proactive approach to strengthening its future as an organisation, by encouraging a progressive, data-led culture through the training of its dedicated team.”
