The AfDSP are defining the standards needed to ensure an ethical and well-governed approach towards data science so the public, organisations and governments can have confidence in how their data is used. In July, at an inaugural event at the Royal Society, we awarded the first Advanced Data Science certifications to qualifying candidates.

We are now seeking recommendations for building on this success and extending our reach and scope by working with new partners. If you are an organisation and believe you can contribute to the work of the AfDSP, then we invite you to express your interest and answer the questions detailed below. We will then contact you to follow up.

The Alliance has been able to carry out its work using members’ resources (people and financial). In addition to agreeing to a memorandum of understanding, operational agreements and data sharing agreements, any new partner organisations should be prepared to contribute similar resources.

In answering the questions, please consider that the AfDSP is working towards:

  • Defining the standards of professional competence and behaviour expected of people who work with data which impacts lives and livelihoods. These currently include data scientists, data engineers, data analysts and data stewards.
  • Delivering these standards as data science certifications offered by the Alliance members to their professional members, with processes to hold certified members accountable for their professional status in this area.
  • Using these standards as criteria for Alliance members to accredit data science degrees, and data science modules of associated degrees, as contributing to certification.

Thank you for your consideration.