What is InQbate?

InQbate is a training programme aimed at recruiting young graduates with a maximum of two years working experience in the Business Intelligence industry, with the aim of developing them into fully fledged Qlik consultants.

In order to sustain and meet the growing demand for quality consulting in the future, we needed to launch a training and mentorship programme aimed at recruiting and training young people with the base set of competencies that we believe to be important in our industry.

It's the ideal opportunity for someone fairly new to the practical world of data analysis, to apply their knowledge and form fundamental business interface skills.

Why did Insight Consulting initiate this concept?

We believe the training offers a win-win solution. Our differentiating factor is our ability to speak our customer's language, and the industry expertise we bring to the party when proposing solutions that create value for our customers. In order to sustain this offering, Insight Consulting must continually focus on the quality of our consultants by training and investing in a customer and business focused philosophy.

We believe that whilst Qlik is the best BI tool on the market today, the "wow" factor of our implementations is derived from both the technical expertise andthe business know-how of our consultants.

Furthermore, it's the ideal opportunity for young graduates to gain knowledge and receive expert training in Business Intelligence, data analysis and information technology which they may not necessarily get exposed to under normal circumstances.

How did you go about selecting the participants and what key attributes were you looking for?

Our recruitment process for the programme was intensive, involving case studies, competency based interviews and logic tests. A high level of screening has allowed us to select people for the programme who can, with the right guidance and mentorship, develop into accomplished and sought-after Qlik and business consultants.

What does the training involve?

The course is a mix of hands on, case study based, technical training, coupled with business concepts and business interface skills. The focus is not only on app builds, but also on deep dive data analysis, how we visualise data and delivering true value to our customers. The programme is run by senior managers within the organisation, ensuring that the programme candidates have direct and frequent access to all the knowledge and expertise built up over the years that Insight Consulting has been in operation.

How is the programme going so far?

We have just launched the first version of the InQbate programme, and whilst it is still in its infancy, the initial 4 candidates who joined us are performing superbly. While the training is intensive, there is no immediate time pressure which leads to a more thorough grounding. The programme will be developed and refined as the project evolves over the coming months, with the next opportunity for intakes taking place in March 2018, for programme kick-off in April 2018.

If students and aspiring data analysts are interested in future opportunities like this, how do they go about applying and what minimum skills would they require?

If you are interested in applying for the April 2018 programme, please send an email (the subject line inQbate), with a concise, two page CV to info@insightconsulting.co.za .

Requirements:

Maximum two years work experience
University or Technikon three year degree (need not be IT related)
Technical aptitude
People skills
Keen interest in data analysis