https://ift.tt/xId513B
Databricks is working with Queensland state government agencies to bring data and AI training to public sector staff through its Databricks Data and AI Academy program.
The data analytics firm has been tapped to provide this training to the National Injury Insurance Scheme Queensland and Queensland Health.
Under the program, Databricks will look to upskill staff from both agencies on data, analytics and AI, who will then be able to pass on what they learned to their colleagues.
Peter How, general manager of innovation and delivery at the National Injury Insurance Scheme Queensland, said a recent review of his agency’s data and AI capabilities revealed a skills gap when it came to deploying certain functionalities.
“Databricks’ leading Data and AI Academy offered us the opportunity to empower our staff and ensure skills uplift within our workforce, owing to the [program’s] inherent knowledge sharing feature,” he said.
According to How, the learnings from the Academy will enable its teams to co-design and provide improved services for participants, external stakeholders and internal staff.
The Data and AI Academy also promotes citizen data capabilities by automating complex preprocessing, engineering, and model training processes, enabling users to easily build, train, and deploy their own models through a low-code approach.
Damon Atzeni, director of data and analytics at Queensland Health said the key to its department’s data strategy is the data and digital literacy of its staff in a rapidly changing environment.
“The Academy is our fast track to understanding the power of the solution we have and developing the skills to use it effectively,” he said. “The program has enabled us to self-manage deployments in reforming our health data, resulting in greater administrative efficiency and patient care insights.”
Databricks hopes to expand the Academy to additional departments throughout the Queensland government.
“Between Australia’s tight talent market and the quick rise and rapid evolution of AI capabilities, many organisations understand they must double down on training efforts to run best-in-class operations,” said Adam Beavis, vice president and general manager for Databricks in Australia and New Zealand.
Both agencies’ adoption of the Academy follows an audit performed by Databricks on the state government departments’ data strategies and implementation strategies.