Digdata ‘Next Steps’ Challenge inspires EKC Canterbury College students 

Business and Computing students from EKC Canterbury College have excelled in this year’s Digdata ‘Next Steps’ Challenge, an event designed to equip learners with the skills needed to tackle data problems.

The challenge focused on the NHS, with students applying their analytical and business knowledge to solve data issues in the world of healthcare.   

Groups of five worked throughout the day to analyse datasets and develop solutions, in tasks ranging from understanding pivot tables to building on data findings. Each group also had the chance to their ideas before presenting their findings to NHS data professionals.   

Following the success of previous Digdata challenges hosted at the College, this year’s event highlighted the growing importance of data in healthcare, as well as critical skills for the job market, including teamwork. 

Level 3 Computing student, Diya Patel, thrived during the challenge. As an aspiring cyber security specialist, the chance to refine her data skills and work with learners from other departments was a highlight.  

Diya said: “It’s been really good to come together with people on different courses, so that we can see our different perspectives and views on how we visualise data.  

“I would say in the world now everything relies so heavily on data, so it’s good to comb this field alongside the course that I’m studying. I’d love to do distance learning at university, focusing on cyber security. I’ve really enjoyed this.” 

The NHS data teams were highly impressed by the students’ creativity and approach to the analytical tasks. Prizes for individual students were given out at the end of the day, with staff members highlighting their teamwork, knowledge and problem-solving skills.  

Having participated in last year’s event, Level 3 Computing student, Edward Morris, enjoyed the chance to come back and strengthen his skills, winning an individual medal. 

He said during the event: “What I’m enjoying about the day so far is learning more Excel skills. Typically, when I work with data, I prefer to do it with software like Python. However, I’ve noticed that Excel is considerably easier to use and also allows me to use Pivot tables, which is where you can take your data, combine it together and then output it in a much easier way. 

“One of the biggest benefits is that you’re working as part of a team, and you can accommodate how everyone works best in that team.” 

The day concluded with a career panel, where students could ask questions and hear from data analysts about their journeys.  

Industry Liaison Officer for Computer Science, Tony Ballard, who organised the event, saw the benefits this brought to students firsthand, including gaining confidence in complex tasks. He said of the day: “Opportunities like this are so valuable as the job market is so competitive now. Having the chance to gain real-world experience to solve real challenges, as well as the chance to learn from each other, will give our learners an edge.” 

We’d like to thank Digdata and the volunteers from the NHS for coming to College to inspire Business and Computing learners, and we look forward to future events. 

If you’d like to take on exciting challenges like this one, explore our Business and Computing courses.