Data warehousing specialists are in high demand, and there are virtually no specialists available on the market. Pinja has been struggling with the same problem for a long time. As the labor market is significantly short of available skills, other ways of acquiring the necessary skills were considered.
- As there were no seniors or even people with a couple of years’ experience on the market, we decided to try juniors. And the Data Warehouse Academy concept was tailored for getting relevant skills to Pinja, says Maija Andersson, Training Manager of the Business Intelligence unit.
This is what the Pinja DW Academy has to offer
The Pinja DW Academy is a two-month-long intensive employment training course, during which the theoretical knowledge gained from the studies is put into practice. Aleksi Rytkönen, Business Consultant in the Business Intelligence team, is one of the people responsible for the content and planning.
The assignment is based on a real system. However, as is often the case in real client projects, there is still room for refinement in the definition. This means that the student really has to think and ask for clarification.
The Academy consists of a wide range of theoretical materials related to data warehousing and reporting. Maija and Aleksi say that the course is built around self-study, webinars, external courses, and practical work. Practical work is promoted while learning about the theme and tools. It is based on a real customer delivery, which Aleksi himself has made during his time at Pinja.
- The assignment is based on a real system. However, as is often the case in real client projects, there is still room for refinement in the definition. This means that the student really has to think and ask for clarification. The training work also includes SQL Server installation, because it’s good to understand this aspect as well, even if it’s not really part of your future job description, Aleksi says.
The training work is largely based on how Aleksi himself would have wanted to start working at some point in his early career. Simulating a real client project provides a better understanding of the skills required for the job right from the start.
Experience has shown that the academy concept works, and that there has been enough work to keep the academics busy. So far, three groups have graduated from the Pinja DW Academy, and according to Aleksi, positive feedback has been received from all classes, which has been used to continuously develop the content. Aleksi believes that the academy is a good springboard to get smart students into real work.
Valuable lessons from the academy for future jobs
Juho Virtanen, a Business Consultant at Pinja, participated in his first academy in 2020. He had already spent some time in the workplace, but a change of job was on his mind. By a lucky coincidence, Juho ended up applying to join Pinja’s DW Academy, where he learned valuable lessons for his future work assignments.
- After the academy I got involved in projects and have done both data warehousing work on the database side and visualizations, and reporting with Power BI. Even though new things come up every day, without the academy the start would have been much slower, Juho says.
Juho thanks his own team for giving him responsibility according to his own abilities, and help whenever he asked for it. Every employee is equally valuable and on the same footing, regardless of whether they have been with the company for a week or more.
The newest student body at Pinja is represented by Junior DW Specialist Meri, who graduated from the third academy. Meri studied Computer Science at the University of Jyväskylä when an announcement about Pinja DW Academy appeared on the internal email list. Meri felt that she fitted the profile of what was required, and decided to put in her own application.
- Overall, I think that the academy was really good for a person coming from university who doesn’t have a lot of experience yet. You know that you have the skills, but you still don’t have much concrete information on how to do things. In this sense, the academy is a good way of getting to the bottom of things, and specifically the tasks that Pinja has to offer.
Meri found the content of the academy varied and comprehensive. The design and reporting of the data warehouse became an independent task. At the moment, Meri is focused on the Power BI side of her work, i.e., visualizing the data in the data warehouse. Recently, Meri has also been involved in client projects, which she has found very enjoyable alongside her independent work.
They both felt that it was also good and important to have the support of both their course mates and mentors Aleksi and Eemeli during their studies. The mentors always had time to brainstorm when needed, and I also kept in touch with my course mates almost every day.
The application process goes through in an orderly and conveniently fast way
Those selected for the academy will be given a two-month traineeship contract.
- The starting point and idea is that everyone who comes to the academy and succeeds is hired by Pinja as a permanent employee. After the academy ends, you start working as a Junior Expert, and with the help of more experienced experts you get to do real project work, Maija says.
In the next blog post we will hear from new academy members, who started in February, about their ongoing training.
Pinja DW Academy:
⏲️ Duration: approx. 2 months👨🎓 For whom: mainly for students at the end of their studies, recent graduates, or those considering a change of field
💻 Content:
📊 Theoretical materials related to data warehouses and reporting
🗃️ Training work
💾 SQL puzzle exercise
💎 Benefit: permanent employment as a DW expert after graduation from the academy
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