The Global Body for Data & Analytics Professionals
We have researched our Analyst Competency Framework to ensure that our vision for our members is aligned to industry standards in engineering and business fields. It creates a clear pathway through the field of analytics, with multiple entry points depending on educational levels.
Our training provision for members is fully aligned to this framework and will allow all stakeholders to have a better understanding of what they can expect of members at different levels of training, and the support needed.
Our Framework covers the core competencies needed to take an end-to-end approach to data solutions. We assume our professionals will input into every stage of the data cycle.
Our members who qualify for one of our competency designations are interdisciplinary. They have appropriate training to be able to carry out mathematical calculations, using technology and applying that skill to a real world domain.
The competencies are divided into four areas of specialisation: Knowledge and Analytics; Governance and Professionalism; Communication and Leadership.
Manipulating data and producing purposeful data products.
Learn how to do analytics, from spreadsheets to Transformers and deep learning.
Identifying risk and working within regulations and best practices.
Learn whether to use analytics, and how to work within the sector ethically.
Translating technical insights into actionable business terms.
Learn to share complex data insights and processes with everyone.
Growing in trust, responsibility, and influence in your career.
Learn the tricks of personal effectiveness from the management world.
Explore the competencies expected at each membership grade.
Typically, in the early stages, Affiliate members will be working towards or be able to perform the following data tasks:
You may need to learn new data science and apply them in your work to improve your employability and promotion aspects.
You may already carry out some analytics in your work but need the language of the data science community to describe your employability skills.
People new to the IoA can use the framework to identify how their existing skills map to our membership levels.
For our existing members, these criteria can be used to decide what evidence on your experience to add to your Portfolio to build your reputation in the field.
It is common for data analysts to develop depth of skills in certain areas, but not always breadth. If you have any gaps in your skills, we have training resources to support.
You may find that some of these skills are already part of your daily practice, but the framework provides the language to discuss your practices with fellow practitioners and future employers.
Employers should refer to the framework to manage their realistic expectations of what new data hires can and cannot achieve at their current level of training and experience.
Our membership levels reflect the growing competence of our members, and support discussions around expectations of responsibility and progression at the different career stages.
Our core professional designations are:
A person with considerable sector or role knowledge and experience outside of the data professions and able to take responsibility for basic analytics work and making sensible decisions around data processes or a junior data scientist with foundational data skills.
Our data professionals. These members can take responsibility building more complex projects and flexibly create data solutions.
Our data leaders and Chief Data Officers. They innovate and lead their teams through strategic data projects.
Our innovators and global leaders.
We have level-appropriate training to ensure that members can access support in developing all of the technical skills and competencies to progress through our membership levels. Just check the course number to see how training aligns.
In the early years, there is a greater emphasis on developing a range of new, foundational skills.
Later career professionals will typically then begin to specialise and develop deeper understanding and practice within their areas of expertise, and there is more scope to tailor our training to their unique profile.
All our later career professionals will be able to contribute professionally beyond their data expertise and take growing responsibility for their own work and the work of others.
For more on training and how you can evidence progression through the Analyst Competency Framework levels, why not consider joining the Institute of Analytics?
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