Data Literacy: An Essential Skill for the Industry

Abstract

Data literacy is the ability to read, write, critically assess, communicate and extract value of data in different contexts. As such, data literacy is a key competence in the current digital economy, where most transactions require handling high amounts and variety of data. For a data literate workforce in the data-driven industry, there is a critical need for training and educational curricula that address this key competence, both in Higher Education and professional development programs. Through a systematic desk research spanning over 15 European countries, this paper sheds light on how data literacy is addressed in European Higher Education and professional training. Official syllabuses and educational documents have been examined to determine the strengths and challenges of data literacy enhancement, and identify the needs and opportunities for data literacy-specific training programs that promote a data-driven culture within the European industry ecosystem.