SAS inaugurates a laboratory dedicated to the training of specialists in the field of data analysis, alongside the Polytechnic University of Bucharest

SAS, the global leader in analytics, continues the commitments it has made both internationally and locally to the educational system and the university environment. Thus, in partnership with the Politehnica University of Bucharest, SAS inaugurated a laboratory equipped with state-of-the-art data analysis solutions, within the Faculty of Automation and Computers at UPB.

The SAS company considers the fact that there is a lack of specialists on the labor market, not only abroad, but also in Romania. That is why SAS collaborates closely with the Politehnica University of Bucharest to meet the real needs of the labor market. As early as 2020, SAS Romania is investing massively in the academic environment in Romania, aiming to train 5,000 specialists in the field of advanced data analysis and data science by 2025. The SAS Academic program is what started the partnership between the company and UPB in order to create a data science program within the University.

SAS offers highly practical and easy-to-implement university programs in higher education institutions to include these types of skills in the academic curriculum. Thus, SAS initiated the Master Business Analytics academic program and postgraduate study programs. The SAS laboratory inaugurated now is the latest proof of SAS’s commitment to annually train specialists within the UPB.

“It’s extraordinary that we managed to get this initiative off the ground, it’s an investment we’re making in the future. The efforts we are putting into developing capabilities in the area of data science are necessary because there is an acute shortage of specialists in advanced data analysis. These specialists are extremely sought after on the labor market, both in Romania and beyond. We want that in this laboratory, beyond the technologies we bring, we also come with partnerships with some of our clients, so that the students can get in touch with applications from the real world”, said Ștefan Baciu, Country Manager SAS Romania & Republic of Moldova.

The efforts made by SAS regarding the establishment of the dedicated laboratory within the Faculty of Automation and Computers were supplemented, at every step, by those made by the officials of the educational institution.

“Things are evolving and we want to include more and more avant-garde fields, because our faculty has as its main objective the training of specialists of excellence, who can grow the IT industry in Romania. And this is only possible with a close collaboration with the profile companies, which promote new technologies”, said Prof. Dr. Eng. Mihnea Moisescu, vice dean of the Faculty of Automation within UPB.

Preliminary estimates show that at least three batches of undergraduate students will benefit from the newly established laboratory, which translates into the training of more than 300 data scientists every year. At least a group of 20 students from the master’s program will also have access to the resources made available by SAS in this lab.

“We have a very high request from employers for specialists, and against the background of the shortage in the labor market, we collaborate closely with top universities to be able to train specialists ready to offer their knowledge in world-renowned companies. The field of data scientists is the second most in-demand role, after cybersecurity, in the IT field. At the level of Europe and North America, there is a need for 11.5 million specialists of this kind by 2026. The average salary earned by these experts is also more than 30% higher than the usual income in the IT segment”, said Alina Luchian, Academic Program Manager for Romania at SAS Institute;

Students from the Faculty of Automation and Computers will also have access to free courses on the SAS platform to supplement their knowledge. Young people enrolled in this faculty will also have the opportunity to enroll in internship and practice programs within the SAS.

“The Faculty has created a continuous training program, on three levels, Business Intelligence Systems Specialist. The first level is addressed to those who do not have a technical background specific to the Polytechnic, but through which students from faculties such as ASE can be attracted, serving as an entry point focused especially on SAS programming. The newly established laboratory next to SAS allows us to launch the first series starting in January, there are already requests in this regard”, said Prof. Monica Drăgoicea, director of this study program within the Faculty of Automation. More details about this training program can be found on the dedicated website.

Also, starting in October 2023, students of the Faculty of Automation and Computers at UPB will be able to attend the courses of a new master’s program in English, Advanced Data Analysis in Business, prepared in partnership with SAS experts.