The Business Analytics Centre (BAC) is an innovation hub specifically designed to deliver project-based experiential learning for project management and data analytics students while providing space, equipment, and expertise to businesses from across the region.
The BAC is a place where businesses have access to state-of-the-art software and equipment when they collaborate with students under the supervision of our expert faculty. From sales figures to website visits to crop yields – whatever your business activities, you can benefit from data analysis and project management expertise. The information you obtain can help you direct your capital appropriately; make informed, evidence-based business decisions to optimize your operations; manage projects; and create new streams of revenue.
Holland College’s Business Analytics Centre supports the development and growth of small to medium sized enterprises and start-ups in Atlantic Canada while developing a highly skilled workforce of data analytics and project management specialists.
Companies collaborate directly with students to solve real-world issues, leading to more efficient business solutions with access to the latest technologies, decision-making strategies, and processes. We understand that smaller enterprises and start-ups have limited budgets. Your company will benefit from working on specific projects that you may not have the resources to tackle yourselves. These connections to industry will also facilitate relationships which could result in faster entry to the workforce for students.
Students can work in the BAC, in the company’s office, or virtually. They begin the project in their second semester (either in January or May, depending on when they start the program). The students are always under the supervision of their Holland College instructor, who monitors their progress.
Participating in a project with the BAC is mutually beneficial. SMEs and start-ups receive valuable business intelligence at no cost while Holland College students develop the skills and knowledge they need to be valued employees after they graduate.
Your business will have the opportunity to visit the Business Analytics Centre, where you can interact with the data analytics and project management students, pitch ideas, utilize space and equipment and access the expertise of faculty.
The Applied Research team recently concluded a data analytics project with CreativePEI. Mark Sandiford, Executive Director of CreativePEI commented on the positive working relationship.
“It was an absolute pleasure working with Junaid and Nagma. They took the time to understand the complexities of labour market statistics in the creative sector. They understood the problem we were trying to solve. They found a really innovative path to a solution. And the final result was way better than I would have imagined,” he said.
Junaid and Nagma developed a dashboard and a user manual for CreativePEI to track the number of workers in different creative areas. The dashboard allows them to clearly visualize their data, identify insights, predict future trends, and make more informed decisions in the creative sector labour market.
“You'd think it would be a simple question to find out how many workers participate in the various creative sector disciplines. But none of the existing labour market statistics adequately address this question. The challenge is the high proportion of part-time, self-employed and contract workers in the sector who are chronically undercounted. The Holland College data analytics team found a really elegant solution to this problem. We are now at the point where we can answer this question with a high degree of confidence. It's a real game changer for understanding the true impact of the sector in the overall workforce and the economy,” Mark said.
The data analytics researchers at the Business Analytics Centre collaborate with local businesses and non-profits to deliver data-driven solutions to real-world problems. These partnerships empower businesses to overcome challenges, gain a competitive edge, and contribute to economic growth, while offering valuable practical learning experiences for our students.
(L-R) Junaid Maqsood, Research Associate, Holland College; Mark Sandiford, Executive Director, CreativePEI; Devon Strang, Digital Development Coordinator, CreativePEI; and Nagma Nagma, Research Assistant, Holland College.
Our Applied Research team recently completed a data analytics project with Kays Wholesale. Kays’ CEO, Luke Beck, said he had a positive experience working with Applied Research.
“Working with Junaid and Nagma was an absolute pleasure from the start. Their professionalism, intelligence, and patience to work within our systems and with our team was a pleasure to watch from the beginning of our project. The end product is exactly what we were looking for and I can’t thank both Junaid and Nagma, along with the College for their support in helping our business continue to grow and use the data we feel will allow us to make the best decisions possible,” he said.
Operating out of the Business Analytics Centre, our team of data analytics researchers work to provide data-driven solutions and support to local businesses. These collaborations not only help industry partners address challenges, gain a competitive edge, and contribute to economic growth, they also benefit students through practical learning opportunities.
(L-R) Ryan Dugay, General Manager, Kays Wholesale; Junaid Maqsood, Research Associate, Holland College; Nagma Nagma, Research Assistant, Holland College; and Luke Beck, CEO, Kays Wholesale.
We look forward to discussing how the Holland College Business Analytics Centre and our faculty and students can help your business. Please feel free to contact us for more information, to ask questions, or to discuss your business needs.
Junaid Maqsood, MSDE, EIT
Research Associate
Email
Phone: 902-916-5538
