Data literacy: a solution

Hello, and thank you for joining me. My name is Jane Crofts, and I lead an organization called Data to the People. In this talk, we're going to be discussing data literacy. Specifically, we're going to look at the what and how of data literacy.

The biggest challenge in building and nurturing lifelong data literacy is knowing how and where to start. If we could somehow measure data literacy at an individual level, we'd be able to paint a pretty clear picture of the current abilities of different teams, departments and regions of our business. We'd be able to pinpoint groups that need greater attention and discover those who can continue on their existing trajectory, or even become champions across the organization, using their knowledge to inspire and support others to develop their skills. We'd be able to develop and nurture data literacy across our entire organization, build a data-driven culture, one that will enable and support our organization to do the things we never thought possible.

That's why I built Databilities.

When we started our work, the concept of data literacy was only really emerging into the mainstream conversation. There was no agreed definition, no agreed standards to fill this void and break down a topic that was confusing to many and abstract to most. I built Databilities, the world's first evidence-based data literacy competency framework. I spent a number of years working in the public service, and one thing I grew to love in the public service was a good old competency framework. These frameworks break down every job across every function into discrete blocks of competencies and behaviors. They give you your precise example of what is expected in each role. They also give you a definitive example of what could be expected in a next role, a higher role. It's all laid out on the table. If you wanted a promotion from job A to job B, you needed to demonstrate that you ticked all the boxes on the competency framework for your existing role, but more importantly, you needed to show that you were already on your way to ticking boxes for the next role, preferably having already ticked a few along the way. Some of you may have noticed the framework starts at Level 1. There is no Level 0, and that's deliberate. I don't believe in data illiteracy. I believe in data literacy. I believe we all have an existing level of data literacy, and it's our collective mission to build and nurture this data literacy for ourselves, our communities, our organizations, our world. We need to foster confidence in our own and in our people's ability to read, write, and comprehend data. No one knows it all, and no one has nothing further to learn. I believe it's our collective mission to build and nurture lifelong data literacy. We can't become complacent. We can't leave any man, woman, or child behind. Data literacy will become as important as literacy and numeracy.