Asos boosts data academy to develop XXXL insights

Online fashion retailer Asos is aiming to further develop super-sized data skills across its business with the expansion of its data academy.

Funded through the apprenticeship levy, the academy is being run through a partnership with education technology start-up Multiverse, which also works with a number of agency groups, including Publicis, Group M, and mSix&Partners.

It offers three separate schemes: The first is a 13-month Data Literacy programme which covers the core technical skills required to transform data into insights.

The second is a 15-month Data Fellowship which teaches apprentices the skills to clean, analyse and model data, and tell data stories to non-specialists.

The third is an Advanced Data Fellowship, a degree level programme, which enables apprentices to develop their skills in data analysis and data science.

Launched in 2000, Asos now has nine country-specific websites, shipping to 240 countries, with a head office in London and key offices around the world, including in the US, France, and Germany. Its sites have over 3.2 million visits daily and more than 13 million active customers.

Asos is currently working towards a goal of 40% female representation in technology, product management and data science by 2030. The figure is currently at 28%. It is also striving towards a figure of over 15% ethnic minority representation at combined leadership level by 2023, it is 7%.

Approximately 75% of the apprentices enrolled with the data academy are female, and more than 50% identify as an ethnic minority.

Asos director of insights and analytics Sandra Kampmann said: “We are very proud of the incredible talent we have at Asos. We’re passionate about their development, and particularly motivated to empower women across our data and broader tech teams.

“Multiverse’s technical focused programmes are fundamental to helping us deliver this targeted development; and to drive greater DEI in the sector, both internally and at an industry level.”

Multiverse chief executive Euan Blair added: “Asos has rightly identified that there are two critical components to being a successful business; ensuring people at every level have a firm grasp on data, and spreading opportunity to talented people from all backgrounds. The extension of their world class data academy addresses both of those challenges.

“Apprentices on the programme are being equipped with data skills that can fuel business transformation – and the programme itself is elevating women into those senior data positions that for too long have been male dominated.”

Once the domain of academia, in recent years more and more brands, including M&S, Yum, Axa and NatWest, have set up their own data academies to give staff the experience to handle data insight and data science.