Why Data Literacy is the Key to Aston University's 2030 Strategy

About Aston University

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Website: https://www.aston.ac.uk/

Employees: 1,927

Industry: Higher Education

Revenue: £220.9m

Learners: 300 (January 2025)

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Aston University, based in Birmingham, was founded in 1895. It’s known for its strong focus on hands-on learning, with over 73% (the highest in the UK) of its students taking a placement year.  

They're recognised for their graduate outcomes by the Mail Online with a "University of the Year for Student Success" award, rank second in the 2023 HEPI Social Mobility Index and place in the top 20 for graduate prospects in the Complete University Guide.

Aston University’s blend of industry focus, academic strength, and inclusive culture sets them apart in the UK higher education landscape.

The Challenge

The university’s leadership recognised that their future success hinged on embracing data-driven decision-making. However, in the midst of a developing data ecosystem, a broader approach was needed to support people getting there.

Aston needed to get people on board to understand the pathway to trusted and accessible data, and how they could make use of it to guide their everyday. Increasing their awareness, confidence and capabilities would unlock an environment where underpinning decisions with data would become the new normal.

In summary Aston faced:

• Most decisions being made based on gut-feel
• Challenges in data governance, quality and utilisation
• Lack of a single source of truth
• Some departments have access to tools like Power BI, while others still relied heavily on spreadsheets only
• A lack of understanding of how to use data once it becomes available

Aston University needed a solution that would not only combine a focus on gaining a technical understanding, but also one where mindset and behaviours are addressed at the same time.

Chief Data and Analytics Officer Helen Blaikie shares: “ One of our first strategic goals was to create a unified data language across all departments, and making people feel confident to talk about data. We wanted to move from isolated data practices to a cohesive, collaborative culture. When people feel empowered to see data as a tool, they’ll get a new perspective on how to tackle the evolving needs of our campus and higher education as a whole.”

The Solution

Aston put together a comprehensive 2030 strategy, which acted as a north star and required rigorous measuring to prove success. With 54 metrics to track, data became a central focus. And people needed to be given agency to use their expertise and contribute to making the strategy a reality.

Once they decided to commit to investing in building a robust data culture, they knew Data Literacy Academy was the right partner to execute their vision in a scalable, trackable and fully tailored way.

They launched a multi-phase data literacy programme aimed at upskilling employees and instilling a “data-first mindset” across the institution. This approach tied in neatly with the ambitions of wider transformation across the campus.

One thing was clear to the leadership team: to make an impact they didn’t just need to talk the talk, but also walk the walk. This is why they joined as the first cohort and embarked on an 8-month data literacy journey.

The selection of the right pilot cohort is critical. When senior leaders are set as the priority, it clearly signals that it must become a key focus for everyone else too. This decision went against Aston’s usual AGILE approach, however it meant the speed of transformation was far greater than imagined.

With every leader being involved in delivering updates, their enhanced data literacy would create a ripple effect in every department.

This resulted in:

• All Senior Leaders enrolled as the first cohort
• Bite-size education meant low impact from a time perspective but high impact from a delivery perspective
• So far 150 learners are certified
• Cohort 2 currently mid-way, Cohort 3 kicks off this year (2025)
• Strong leadership advocacy is creating a shared incentive for every person to get on board with their growing data culture
• Customised approach makes it feel fully “Aston”, while scalable support ensures speed of delivery

Vice-Chancellor & Chief Executive Aleks Subic reflects: "I think it's unprecedented in this sector and many other organisations to have that kind of buy-in and commitment from our entire leadership team to undertake such training so that they are above a certain level of capability and understanding. Which means they can implement that in their day-to-day and work in a confident and competent manner."

The Results

Because of the focus on a shared language and mindset, it has become clear to everyone in the cohort how data is a team sport.

The impact of the education has not only translated into more conversation, but also more action:

• An increase of data availability, data confidence, ownership and accuracy
• A rise in the 3 C’s: Curiosity, Creativity and Critical Thinking
• Progression of a trust-based culture, with mutually agreed data sets and a reliance of centralised data source
• Improved ROI of Power BI, due to new daily dashboard metrics and more self-sufficiency resulting in more streamlined workflows and quicker, more informed problem-solving
• Advancements in the student recruitment process delivering a better student experience
• A significant reduction of data requests and people are empowered to self-serve what they need and discover for themselves
• Data is now the central point of every single leadership meeting. 6-12 months ago it was rare that data sets, especially from a single source of truth, were being used and evidence for reasoning presented. Now the data team sees leaders deliver data-driven presentations even without the need of getting involved.

Learners feeling more confident to ask more and better questions, think proactively with a data-first mindset about the problems they are solving and have a profound understanding of the role everyone plays in the data value chain. Aston University has set themselves up for a successful future and remaining a leader in the industry.

The university is now scaling its efforts, aiming to train all employees by 2030 and continue the cultural shift towards proactive, data-driven practices. This transformation is a clear example of how a strategic partnership and focused effort can turn data from an abstract concept into a core institutional asset.

To dive deeper into Aston University's Data Literacy journey, please watch the webinar below:

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