Three Birmingham entities recently launched a public-private partnership that aims to build a diverse pipeline that connects qualified students with companies with data-specific needs.
Called the Magic City Data Collective (MCDC), the program is a pilot project between UAB, the Birmingham Education Foundation and the Birmingham Business Alliance. It is supported by a one-year grant from the Association of Public & Land-grant Universities.
The data collective provides UAB students with paid internship opportunities to grow their data analysis skillsets by working with local private-sector employers in education, philanthropy and technology, among other sectors.
“The Magic City Data Collective reinforces UAB’s commitment to making sure our students have the ability to develop skills that help them look at large amounts of data, find patterns and trends, and ask questions to better understand the world around them,” said UAB President Ray Watts. “It’s critical that we provide opportunities to take classroom learning one step further, and the Magic City Data Collective is doing just that by partnering with our local business community to shape the next generation of talent that will move Birmingham and our world forward.”
Broken out in project teams, undergraduate and graduate UAB MCDC fellows with academic backgrounds in areas like computer science and physics collected and analyzed data, developed and tested hypotheses and learned about what it means to use data in a team setting. The groups worked on a total of four projects.
Partners on the project see it as a way to invest in community development projects that are critical in helping widen the data talent channel for underrepresented Birmingham students and connect them to future employment opportunities. Protective, Landing, EDPA and Birmingham Education Foundation served as partners on the pilot project.
“Magic City Data Collective gives Birmingham students the opportunity to practice their existing data skills and build new ones — all while participating in paid internships that help our city make data-driven decisions,” said Cori Fain, vice president of social impact at Landing. “This kind of real-world work experience makes these students attractive hires after graduation. Moreover, we know that students who participate in internships are far more likely to get a full-time job in the same city, and retaining top talent in Birmingham should be a priority for all of our businesses and universities.”
Fain said paying students for their work and critical contributions to these projects is an important part of ensuring that this opportunity is accessible to students of all backgrounds.
The next cohort of MCDC fellows will start its community projects in January 2022.
