MP Liam Fox has claimed that "exploiting and unleashing the potential of big data is a massive economic opportunity".
Fox was speaking at the SAS Careers Fair at Brunel University today which was attended by Computing.
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The event aimed to introduce SAS academy students from 15 different universities to SAS customers including Barclays, the BBC, Accenture, npower and Nationwide.
SAS claims that there are 100 "real jobs" available to the 300 students who have attended the event.
Recent research from digital employer body e-skills UK and SAS found that three out of five large UK organisations find it challenging to hire people with the specialist big data skills that they need.
Both e-skills UK and SAS have asked British employers, academic institutions and government to do more to stoke interest in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects, with a particular focus on the skills gap in big data, to ensure that Britain can compete in the global information economy.
Fox urged delegates at the event, which included representatives from each of the universities and customers, to ensure that the UK would be the first nation to profit from the potential of big data.
"It will happen but will it happen here? Someone is going to exploit it; we have to try to make it happen in the UK. We are going to need tens of thousands of data scientists, and they will be a vital component of our success," he said.
Professor Andrew George, vice principal at Brunel University added that enabling students to use SAS systems and software is a "wonderful opportunity, not only for their future, but for them to research and build up their knowledge base".
