Data is everywhere and it keeps growing day in and day out. With all the technological advancement and rise in social media’s popularity, there will always be a need for people who can use this data to gain meaningful insights that will help shape the world. Thus, entering the Azubi Africa Business Intelligence program was a very exciting moment for me. The program was exactly what I was looking for, an opportunity to acquire new skills to become the Data Analyst I want to be; and to expand my network. Little did I know there was more to be gained from the program than I had thought.
I am a graduate of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Telecommunications Engineering and have been working as a Customer Experience Management Engineer. My current role exposed me to working with data and all the insights one can get from it to make informed decisions, to promote services and businesses. This sparked my interest in Data Analytics, and I wanted to learn more and start a career in that field.
I heard about the program from my husband. He stumbled upon the advertisement on LinkedIn and shared the link to apply with me. I applied for the program knowing it was the best place to start my journey into becoming a Data Analyst since the program focused mainly on Power Platform Solution which included Power BI which from my research, is one of the tools and skills required of a Data Analyst. I already had skills in excel and SQL and knew skills in Power BI will be good to attract recruiters into hiring me.
The onboarding process was very smooth. We were given all the tools needed to make our virtual training experience a great one. I hadn’t used Microsoft teams before but with the training and help of Coordinators and Facilitators of the program, it was very easy to access materials for the program and join all the training sessions.
The Azubi Africa training program exposed me to a lot of opportunities.
Going into the program I told myself I was going to take advantage of every single opportunity that came my way and get involved in every activity. I got the opportunity to be part one of the organizers as the Public Relations Officer of the Women in Tech Club. This helped me network and learn from very amazing colleagues and experts in the tech industry and taught me a lot about organizing and coordinating events. As an introverted person that was a first. Meeting career experts, mentorship sessions with the Dean of Students and training sessions with experts from Microsoft were great experiences I am so glad I was a part of. I almost left out the free access to LinkedIn learning which is one of my favorites.
The learning structure was a flipped one; Students were given access to materials to learn at their own pace, then there was a regular check in sessions to share ideas and to ask questions in areas we had difficulties in understanding. There were tutorial sessions as well to give students hands on training. The flipped learning structure was a very convenient one for me since I was working full time while going through the program. I had the opportunity to study at my own time and pace.
I acquired a lot of skills in the program both soft and technical skills. The soft skills included Critical thinking, Business etiquettes, Effective communication and Listening skills, Time management skills; scheduling my tasks and setting task reminders. This really helped me a lot to juggle between work and schooling. The technical skills included Software Development, Data Science Prerequisite and Power Platform Solution (Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI and Power Virtual Agents).
One thing I never imagined myself saying before the program was “I developed an app”. But in the end, I did.
Thanks to the training in Power Platform Solution, I was able to single handedly develop an app, leveraging the Power Apps Canvas App for Mobile and Power BI to build a low code app which helps Mobile Money Agents save and track records of their transactions and have some insights on the performance of the business.
The program delivery was great, but I must say was also intense at some point. There were times when you had group projects to work on and in the same week you had quizzes coming up, times when I had to be in two meetings at the same time, work and class session. I was working remotely so I will have two laptops in front of me and will just be juggling between the two. There were days when this went well and other days when I just had to drop off the class session. Those times were really difficult moments for me but when you are determined you make sure you sail through all the difficulties.
I mentioned how scheduling my tasks and setting tasks reminders really help me throughout the program. Another thing that also helped me adapt to online learning was the tools that were made available to us. Using Microsoft Teams was great, you get access to all your materials both on desktop and mobile devices, so you can access them and join class meetings wherever you are. You can also easily collaborate with your colleagues and team members also on Teams. This helped to make group works and team building activities very efficient.
I had only two goals before entering the Azubi Africa Business Intelligence (Power Platform) Program which were to acquire Data Analytics Skills and to expand my network; meet and learn from colleagues and teaching staff. At the end of the program, I had achieved that and many more.
I graduated from Azubi Africa Business Intelligence (Power Platform) Program with a Gold Class and two Microsoft Certifications; Power Platform Fundamentals and Power Platform App Maker Associate. The graduation ceremony was very educative and fun. We all engaged in a Capstone Project and every group presented great apps showing use cases of the Power Platform. Listening to everyone present their project showed how much we have all gained from the program; Presentation skills, design and project ideas were all impeccable.
Thanks to Azubi Africa and its partners for making all these possible. A big thank you to all the teaching staff as well for their time and efforts throughout the program.
I am taking more courses to help me further build myself as a Data Analyst and explore the Power Platform Solutions as well since I see a great future there. The future seems bright, and I am looking forward to applying all the skills I have acquired to help promote the business of the company that is lucky to have me.
