October 2022
Finance leaders need access to reliable data to make the difficult decisions, says Sarah Shreeves.
Having the right data to inform effective decision making has never been more important. With soaring inflation and the cost-of-living crisis showing no signs of relenting, households across the country will be cutting back to stay afloat.
Local authorities are no different. They too will be facing inflationary pressures from rising energy bills, wages and material supplies, to name just a few. Without significant extra funding from central government on the horizon, local authorities will be delivering essential services with money that doesn’t stretch nearly as far as it did just six months ago. Tough decisions are going to need to be made.
This is where having access to robust and reliable data and insight will prove to be invaluable. Senior finance leaders need to have access to this data in order to inform the tough decisions they will need to make – decisions which may have a real impact on people’s lives.
It is vital that the process of decision making in the public sector is transparent and open. Choices around where to make cuts and where to channel scarce resources will not be easy, so having data to inform and support these decisions is key.
But having a wealth of data is not enough. We need people working in the public sector who know how to analyse it, interpret it and present it to senior leaders.
CIPFA’s new Certificate in Data Science, delivered in partnership with the Southampton Data Science Academy, explains how to work with data in an effective way to unlock the value it holds. The course will teach students how to interpret data and how to communicate insights to those without specialist technical knowledge.
Students will learn about the key concepts in data science and how to prepare and analyse data from world-leading authorities in data science. The course takes a practical, hands-on approach to teaching, aiming to give students as much exposure as possible to real workplace examples of data science in action.
In our public services, we need more skilled data professionals who are able to use and analyse data to provide senior leaders with the reassurance and support they need as they make increasingly difficult decisions.
Delivering value to the taxpayer should be a central motivation for any professional working in the public sector. The ability to harness the power of big data and gain valuable insights from it can support decision makers in continuing to deliver value – even through these most challenging of times.
• Sarah Shreeves, Head of Training Services, CIPFA
