MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — John Chambers School of Business and Economics Dean Javier Reyes and representatives from WesBanco soft-launched the WVU Data Driven West Virginia Program on Thursday.
The program allows students to sharpen their data analytics skills while serving the needs of commercial organizations and units of government.
This year, three students will graduate with Master’s degrees in Data Analytics. This is the second year for the undergraduate minor program.
“For the undergrad students especially this is a chance for them for a prospective employer to see their talent before even hiring them as an intern. So, it’s really a precursor to a potential internship or a full-time job,” said Katherine Kopp, data administrator for the John Chambers School of Business and Economics.
Reyes said in many cases the companies and organizations don’t have the resources to address the need internally, that’s where Data Driven West Virginia plays a very helpful role.
“The students can intake, take the first pass, give it back- they learn-they apply and that gives them a differentiation in the marketplace, but their learning has a positive impact on the state already. That’s why we call it Data Driven West Virginia,” he said.
WesBanco is sponsoring the first year with a $25,000 donation and they are providing some of the projects for students.