Data Science Machine learning and are increasingly important in the world’s economy and there is an increasing gap in the job market of skilled workers. To address this the Valence project proposes the design and implementation of a Data Science and Machine Learning focused curriculum in VET high schools. As a precursor to this, we designed a survey to assess the awareness/experience in these areas in students in Vocational Education and Training high schools. The survey was distributed across the three partner VET institutions. The analysis shows that While most students are aware of these two areas, only a small proportion of them have any practical experience in them or have followed an online tutorial. This reaffirms the need for the design and deployment of an accessible Data Science and Machine Learning curriculum.
This research paper was presented on the 15-th International Conference ETAI 2021 (23-24 September 2021).