The enterprise is a fast-moving landscape. Companies often bemoan skill gaps and talent shortages but don’t actively engage in grassroots mentorship and skill impartation through academia.

Bucking that trend is Alteryx Inc. Its SparkED Analytics Education Program exists to solve two key problems: shaping careers through analytics and mitigating the skills shortage in the data realm.

“The SparkED Education Program really is at the center of solving that, connecting learners with customers,” said Jason Belland (pictured, left), vice president of the Global SparkED Education Program at Alteryx. “Today we’re working with over 1,200 universities across 55 countries. We’ve worked with almost 200,000 learners like Matthew to help individuals upscale on analytics as well as Alteryx technology so they’re ready on day one for their next career opportunity.”

Belland and Matthew Dvortsyn (right), data science student at Camden County College, spoke with theCUBE’s Rebecca Knight and Rob Strechay at Alteryx Inspire, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed the SparkED Program and its goal of bridging the gap between eager learners and industry demands. (* Disclosure below.)

Unpacking the SparkED program with Alteryx’s Jason Belland and data science student Matthew Dvortsyn.

SparkED: A student’s perspective

Any educational program is only as good as its impact on the students. SparkED’s approach to education is deeply hands-on, emphasizing practical application over theoretical knowledge. With personal interactions encouraged, the classroom experience pushes students to engage unhindered with Alteryx software, according to Dvortsyn.

“A lot of it is not pressure, but hands-on application of the software and also definitely professors pushing you to try out new things, ask the right questions and use the community if you don’t have the answers,” he said. “On top of that, making sure that everybody knows how the tool works, how to use the different examples or the support that Alteryx provides.”

This includes exploring new features, posing questions and leveraging the robust community support available through the Alteryx Maveryx community. Here, students can quickly get answers from experts, ensuring a continuous learning loop.

The integration of AI and cloud technologies in the curriculum is another forward-thinking aspect of SparkED. The program’s professors provide early access to AI tools, allowing students to experiment and learn in a cutting-edge environment, according to Dvortsyn.

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE Research’s coverage of Alteryx Inspire: 

(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the Alteryx Inspire event. Neither Alteryx Inc., the sponsor of theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE