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Survey: Connecticut agency staff report limited time for data training; officials plan coordinated offerings
Summary
A needs assessment presented March 20 found about 56 respondents from state agencies, many of whom report less than two hours per month for learning and uneven access to agency-sponsored training; officials plan to design coordinated, bite-sized training and report back in June.
A survey of state agency data users presented to the Connecticut Data Analysis Technology Advisory Board on March 20 found demand for coordinated training but limited time and uneven funding across agencies.
Rachel Leventhal Weiner, who leads research and evaluation on the Data and Policy Analytics team at the Office of Policy and Management, said the needs assessment so far has "a little under 60 respondents" and that many respondents use data in daily work but have limited internal agency training resources.
The survey sample showed a range of job levels and roles, averaging about seven to eight years of experience among respondents. Leventhal Weiner said roughly half of respondents reported that their agency has no funding for data training, and many reported they have less than two hours per month available for learning.
Respondents prioritized training in data-visualization and analytic tools, followed by data storytelling, data management and governance. Leventhal Weiner described preferences for hybrid delivery—short online modules combined with occasional in-person sessions—and noted one suggested approach: short pre- and post-assessments to place learners at the right level.
Board members recommended bite-sized approaches modeled after existing short cybersecurity lessons circulated by the Bureau of Information Technology Services; Collin said the team has produced screencasts for Open Data Day and will consider similar short lessons. Leventhal Weiner said the team is scanning other states’ approaches and expects to present a draft set of offerings at the next board meeting in June.
