Fifth Third partners with UC Analytics to launch high impact data bootcamp

Fifth Third Bank, recognizes that employees are at the heart of the digital revolution. It takes more than just assembling a star-studded dream squad to succeed in business. It involves upskilling, training and transforming current personnel into superstars.

In collaboration with the University of Cincinnati’s Center for Business Analytics in the Lindner College of Business, the Launchpad program took flight.

“It is a hybrid boot camp for continued learning and professional development to upskill our workforce in data competencies. The goal at the end of the training is to increase staff confidence and mastery of data, analytics, visualization and general engineering practices,” said Alexander Bross, vice president and senior director of data engineering at Fifth Third.

Participating employees cover a range of abilities:

• Individuals already performing lots of analytics within programs like Excel 
• Teams facing big changes as a result of technology changes in their space
• General high performers who will leverage these skills in the future

The Launchpad is a two-week training program designed to teach current employees and new hires the practical and technical skills needed to solve data problems and begin implementing as quickly as possible.

Throughout the course, participants will gain proficiencies in technologies such as:

• Introduction to Data Management
• SQL for Business Analysts
• Data Visualization Principles and Concepts
• Introduction and Advanced Tableau

At the end of the training, employees receive a certificate of completion. 

Bross states one of the reasons Fifth Third was drawn to collaborate with the UC 1819 Innovation Hub back in August 2019 was integration with the community, specifically connecting with early career talent.

Additional factors included:

• Accessing the ecosystem of the Cincinnati Innovation District to identify solutions to real world challenges
• Partnering with a top tier academic institution
• Accelerate workforce upskilling and training programs

Just about every activity generates data. Analyzing data is essential to achieve successful objectives and fueling innovation.

So, when it came time to develop the Launchpad program, Bross was clear with UC about what Fifth Third was trying to accomplish. The team effort included the following staff and faculty members to execute the training sessions:

• Larry Porter: Training Manager, UC Center for Business Analytics
• Brett Starr: Adjunct Professor, Department of OBAIS,  Lindner College of Business, Instructor UC Center for Business Analytics
•  Jeffrey Shaffer: Assistant Professor Educator Department of OBAIS,  Lindner College of Business, Instructor UC Center for Business Analytics
•  Jim Monahan: Instructor UC Center for Business Analytics and Principal Consultant at Pinnacle Systems

“We knew that our team members would need to learn these skills and use them in the near future based on our strategic objectives. Access to this space and resources available through our partnership at the 1819 Innovation Hub provided a great opportunity for our employees to train with experts in the field at Lindner College of Business,” Bross said.

• Businesses need to be transparent about their commitment to enrolling employees in the program
• A company has to be clear about what it’s trying to accomplish, i.e., a skill they’re trying to build or knowledge that it needs to raise
• Confirm the best method for delivery — training at the school or a hybrid program