Digital innovation drives new opportunities

From customer behaviour to supply chain logistics, companies have access to an ever-increasing volume of data. Businesses across the Highlands and Islands are learning how to harness the power of their data through collaborations between HIE and specialist support services.

When we think of data driven businesses, we often picture giants like Amazon and Netflix, however smaller companies across the Highlands and Islands are taking advantage of their own data and insights to drive growth, spur innovation and secure competitive advantage.

HIE has been at the forefront of this digital drive. A succesfful collaboration with CodeClan has expanded the region’s data skilled workforce, while The Data Lab, with HIE support, helps organisations to design and deliver data driven projects. Together, these services have helped local businesses identify Industry-led digital skills academy, CodeClan,offers courses in for the Northern Innovation Hub, HIE involvement included support for the first two student cohorts at CodeClan Highlands. The success of the 12 graduates from those cohorts prompted the addition of a third HIE supported cohort, which is currently operating under distance learning protocols due to the current pandemic. Lizi Blackwood, technology development manager for the Northern Innovation Hub, explains why HIE was keen to introduce the programme to the region: “CodeClan offers students an intensive 12-week course, providing them with the practical coding skills needed to enter, or return to, the digital jobs market, and also other ‘soft skills’ such as CV development and interview practice.

and capitalise on new opportunities through faster digital With funding options available, the course equips learners with

CODECLAN: PLUGGING THE DIGITAL LITERACY SKILLS GAP

software development, web development and data analysis. CodeClan works with a large network of employer partners to ensure that its courses equip students with the knowledge and experience needed to fill the digital sector’s skills gaps. Based within Inverness Creative Academy, CodeClan’s Inverness Campus opened in 2018 with support from HIE and the Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal. As a key project

“And the support from CodeClan doesn’t stop at graduation. The fantastic tutors continue to provide guidance and mentorship, making sure everyone has the best possible chance of progressing their career and achieving their professional goals.”

innovation. the digital literacy skills employers need to make a tangible impact on the bottom line.

FOCUS spoke to two CodeClan graduates to find out how they’ve applied what they learned to real-world operations in their industries.

FIND OUT MORE:

codeclan.com

FÒCAS AIR ÙR-GHNÀTHACHADH DIDSEATACH

Tha companaidhean nas lugha air feadh na Gàidhealtachd is nan Eilean a’ gabhail brath air an dàta agus na lèirsinnean aca fhèin airson fàs a thoirt air stiùireadh agus ùr-ghnàthachadh agus buannachd farpaiseach fhaighinn. Tha dà bhuidheann le taic bho HIE aig toiseach na h-iomairt dhidseatach seo – tha CodeClan a’ toirt seachad an fhoghlam a dh’ fheumar gus sgioba-obrach sgileil dàta a leasachadh, fhad ’s a tha Data Lab a’ toirt taic do bhuidhnean gus pròiseactan air an stiùireadh le data a dhealbhadh agus a’ lìbhrigeadh.

CASE STUDY: CALLUM GRINDLE CODECLAN CREATES A PATHWAY FROM PHILOSOPHY TO TECHNOLOGY

“I think we’re at a tipping point in deciding how technology is viewed and used in our society,” says Callum Grindle, a University of Glasgow philosophy graduate who was part of CodeClan Highlands’ first cohort. “I’d always been interested in technology and had taught myself some basic coding. But while studying I became really interested in the moral philosophy and ethics behind technology, artificial intelligence and data collection, and I thought it seemed like an exciting career path to take.”

On graduating in 2019, Callum secured a funded position at CodeClan Highlands through the Digital Health Department at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), which is one of CodeClan’s industry partners, and then spent three months in Inverness to complete the web development course. He said the real value of the course came from the programme’s intense schedule and focus on team learning. He explains:

“You talk as a group about coding and web development all day every day, which is something you just wouldn’t get at university. The way you learn replicates being in a workplace environment. We also took part in industry networking events, which offered valuable face-to-face time with key people and businesses from the sector.”

Two weeks before graduating from CodeClan, Callum secured a job with Raven Controls, a technology start-up that creates incident management systems for largescale events. Someone from the company had seen his profile on LinkedIn and noted his CodeClan training.

Passionate about the ethics of data collection and information management, Callum has found his job with Raven particularly resonant amidst the coronavirus pandemic. He says: “Our company creates software to aid large gatherings, such as sports events and festivals. While these events are currently on hold, having a system that helps to organise, and hold those in charge to account, will be paramount in ensuring public safety, and to make those events possible again.”

Callum is excited about the role Scotland is playing in developing technology to support better health, wellbeing, and social care provision, all critical in our current times – and sees CodeClan as instrumental in supporting that technological, data-driven journey.

CASE STUDY: JAMES ROBERTS UPSKILLING TAKES XPONORTH TO DIGITAL SUCCESS

James Roberts is head of creative, brand and digital at XpoNorth, Scotland’s largest creative industries festival based in Inverness (read more about it on page 22). James was part of the first CodeClan Highlands cohort, graduating in December 2019.

XpoNorth supported James to complete the course, and the investment in his professional development and upskilling would prove highly significant with what was to follow several months later – the outbreak of coronavirus, and the decision to digitise the entire two-day XpoNorth conference, with just three months to do it.

James explains: “I’d always had an interest in technology and engineering and had a history of building and fixing things. At work I was always the ‘tech guy’ but I really wanted to understand coding and web development at a deeper, more useful level – both for myself, and for my work at XpoNorth.

“Back in March when we made the decision to move the entire conference online, identifying a web-based platform that could also support networking and the more social aspects of a festival, it was something I was in a much stronger position to lead on. With everyone now mostly working from home and relying on technology to support more aspects of their lives, CodeClan couldn’t be more relevant.”

Joining the course as an adult learner, James said it was fantastic to be back in an educational environment. “I love the mind-set CodeClan embodies, which is all about collaboration and creativity,” he says. “There are no hurdles too big; it’s a really supportive and inclusive place to learn. I felt really grateful to be part of such a brilliant group of people.”

With all CodeClan courses now being delivered online, James had an encouraging word to say to the current cohort, or anyone thinking about applying in the future. He says: “The skills that CodeClan offer, from teaching Ruby and JavaScript programming languages, to encouraging professional development, will still absolutely be there. And although we were learning in person, all our coursework, materials, and assignment hand-ins were online, so I imagine the method of teaching will be really similar. I would say definitely go for it.”

THE DATA LAB: FOSTERING COLLABORATION AND INNOVATION

While CodeClan upskills individuals, The Data Lab offers tailored support to businesses, community groups and social enterprises, helping them identify and use their data to create innovative solutions.

“Often, businesses can grow in unplanned ways, and they can reach a point where unless they do something, it limits their future growth,”

explains Karen O’Hanlon, business development executive with The Data Lab.

The Data Lab work with organisations to gather their disparate sources of data and use it in ways which provide real insights to drive the business forward. This might involve data on sales, production, supply chain, headcount and the organisation’s own key performance indicators, which many organisations collect but do not necessarily use to its fullest potential.

Organisations which have gone further and identified data driven projects they’d like to undertake can access unbiased advice and support through The Data Lab’s new TORCH initiative.

TORCH is a tailored advisory service offering expert guidance to those undertaking data driven projects. Acting as a ‘critical, unbiased friend’, TORCH advisers can provide guidance on identifying and validating the need for a data driven solution, assessing the risk of the project, preparing and evaluating options and identifying, selecting and working with suppliers. Having TORCH as an external sounding board to validate strategic decisions gives companies confidence in taking on innovative new strategies, with early clients reporting that they felt that for the first time, they had been heard and fully understood in regard to the work they hoped to undertake.

For many businesses accessing TORCH support, the speed and momentum provided by the service are as highly valued as the advice itself.

“For every day they wasted, it was costing them money,” reports The Data Lab’s Lauren Spark, speaking of an early client. “Having TORCH come in and break the process down faster and put them in touch with the right people so that they could just get their project launched was one of the biggest benefits they highlighted to us.”

And with The Data Lab providing direct links to so many Scottish suppliers in addition to the likes of Google and Microsoft, it’s hoped that projects initiated under the TORCH scheme will provide a widely felt boost to the Scottish economy.

With data literacy and data driven innovation becoming increasingly important drivers of success, businesses in the Highlands and Islands are well placed to take advantage of the boundless new opportunities on offer.

FIND OUT MORE thedatalab.com