Data Got Talent, a competition to find talent in data analysis, has recently been kicked off  by the Da Nang University of Economics, promising to bring a vibrant competitive atmosphere among 180 teams from different universities throughout Viet Nam.

Data Got Talent sees a vibrant competitive atmosphere among 180 teams from different universities throughout Viet Nam. Photo: H.L

A male student from the Faculty of Computer Science, the Viet Nam - Korea University of Information and Communication Technology (VKU), a member school of the University of Da Nang, said he and his group of friends recently submitted applications to participate in the second edition of the Data Got Talent 2023, with the spirit of “willing to cope up with challenges”. He said, the field of computer science is quite broad, especially the data segment.

Normally, it is thought that data is a columnar and numerical fiel. Actually, it is quite interesting. Participating in the contest, this student hopes to tell  a specific business story, based on the skill of using techniques to link related data.

Likewise most of the contestants participating in Round 1 of the Data Got Talent do not want to reveal their identities or the methods the team will apply in the competition. According to the contestants, surprises often come at the last minute.

Dr. Vo Quang Tri, the Head of the Faculty of E-Commerce cum Deputy Head of the Data Got Talent competition, said that many teams demonstrated good knowledge of data science.

According to him, Data Got Talent is a big playground for young talents who are passionate about computer technology. During the exams, candidates must integrate many elements, such as creativity, discovery and topics that can support the business community in building practical solutions through data.

“Not only does the contest play a role in sharing knowledge but it also creates opportunities for contestants to practice data analysis skills, use tools effectively and convert data into useful information to solve practical problems”, Dr. Vo Quang Tri said.

In Round 1, called ‘Data Storytelling’, the organisers provide competing teams with a set of data related to a real problem at the business. Competing teams are required to use this data set to analyse and build a meaningful and compelling story about how to solve that problem. This is a requirement for competing teams to demonstrate their reasoning ability through the use of data and present important observations from the data.

Meanwhile, in Round 2, the organisers will present a specific problem with a preliminary data file and the team will have to search and collect the necessary data from different sources to solve the problem. “This requires the ability to learn and grasp appropriate data sources, process and analyze them to provide specific solutions and recommendations.”, said Dr. Vo Quang Tri.

Dr. Truong Hong Tuan, the Head of E-Commerce Department, Faculty of E-Commerce, the University of Economics, said that besides the ability to use software tools to create presentation boards, candidates need to have analytical skills and creativity suitable for different purposes and fields such as education, business, marketing or social activities.

In the context of a strong increase in demand for formally trained human resources, many higher education institutions have proactively grasped the trend and deployed training activities from subject level to majors such as data science, e-commerce. This has received great deal of attention from the business community, especially young entrepreneurs.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Anh, the Director of Excursion Co.,Ltd., providing homestay and villa services in the Central Viet Nam and Central Highlands regions, affirmed, from the basis of data analysis, businesses have more opportunities to adjust products and services in accordance with actual requirements. “From the strong development of the data analysis industry, I have improved my ability to read and understand numbers without needing consultancy from data analysts like before. Thanks to that, the company can exploit customers well as well as make appropriate adjustments to issues that do not meet actual needs.”, said Ms. Kim Anh.

Reporting by HUYNH LE - Translating by A.THU