Analyst Pathway

ICAEW Data Analytics Certificate

Data analytics and data science skills are showing the biggest growth in demand from employers, and finance professionals are perfectly placed to upskill in this area.

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Overview

The Analyst Pathway is tailored to finance professionals who want to develop their data analytics and visualisation skills. It equips individuals and organisations with the practical skills to turn data into meaningful business insight, enabling more informed decision-making, improved forecasting, and greater confidence in using data across the finance function.

Through the data analytics process, learners develop the knowledge and hands-on skills to collect, analyse and interpret data using Python, before communicating clear, evidence-based recommendations to stakeholders. By applying these techniques to real business scenarios, they’ll be better equipped to solve business challenges, support strategic decisions, and add value within their organisation.

Average duration¹

Approximately 60 hours

Assessments

One case study

Award

ICAEW Data Analytics certificate (Analyst Pathway)

¹The Analyst Pathway is about 40 hours of learning + 20 hours for the case study.

Who it’s for

For businesses

Organisations need professionals who can turn data into meaningful business insight. This pathway helps finance teams develop practical data analytics and visualisation skills, enabling them to analyse data confidently, support evidence-based decision-making, improve forecasting, and communicate findings effectively to stakeholders.

For individuals

This pathway is designed for finance professionals who want to develop their data analytics skills and use data to provide evidence-based decision support within their organisation or for clients. You'll learn how to work with data throughout the analytics process, use Python to analyse and interpret datasets, and communicate insights that influence business decisions.

If you're already confident using Python and have a good understanding of the data analytics process, you can choose the case study-only option and still gain the ICAEW Data Analytics Certificate (Analyst Pathway) to demonstrate your competence.

If you're a finance leader looking to understand the strategic benefits of data analytics, develop organisational capability, and interpret outputs from analytics teams, the Management Pathway may be more suitable.

Learning outcomes

With many businesses only analysing a small portion of their data, this course equips you with the practical knowledge and tools to apply data analytics confidently and support evidence-based decision-making.

On completion, learners will be able to:

Apply data analytics techniques to answer real-world business questions
Use predictive analytics to improve forecasting accuracy
Write Python code to clean, manipulate and analyse diverse data sets
Create impactful data visualisations to support and influence decisions

I chose to study the ICAEW certification as it opened up more opportunities in my training career and it benefits to have an internationally accredited certification.

Course content

Understanding business context

Learn how to define the business problem, structure a data analytics project, and identify the data and skills needed to solve it.

In this unit learners will:

Apply the data analytics process to real business questions
Plan and set up an analytics project
Identify relevant data sources
Understand data architecture, management, quality and governance principles

Data wrangling

Develop practical skills in Python to work with raw data and get it ready for analysis.

In this unit learners will:

Recognise different data types and structures
Use Python to import, manage and merge datasets
Identify and resolve data quality issues

Understanding and analysing data

Learn how to explore and understand data using statistical techniques and basic visualisations.

In this unit learners will:

Use summary statistics to describe data
Create visualisations to support exploratory analysis

Data analysis and facilitating data-driven decision making

Build more advanced analytics skills to generate insights and support business decisions.

In this unit learners will:

Apply time series forecasting techniques, including autoregression and smoothing
Understand anomaly detection methods
Explore the ethical considerations of AI and data analytics

Presenting findings and recommendations

Develop the skills to communicate insights clearly and effectively to stakeholders.

In this unit learners will:

Present findings through clear narratives and visualisations
Tailor recommendations for business decision makers
Create impactful, professional data visualisations

Case study

The case study places you in the role of an analyst for a company. You’re tasked with identifying whether a target company is a good investment for a private equity firm. You’ll be provided with a high-level background to the “client” and the data set, and provided with business context.

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You’ll need to put into practice the analytical skills learned to support the investment decision.

There are two key tasks:

Analyse sales data to develop a method to forecast future sales using predictive techniques and make recommendations to management.
Identify control weaknesses, specifically looking at journals in the general ledger. You’ll be required to utilise data analytics techniques to identify anomalies in journals and report back your findings to management.

You’ll be required to communicate your findings effectively to both inform and influence the investment decision. Once you’ve successfully completed the case study, you’ll be awarded the ICAEW Data Analytics Certificate (Analyst Pathway).

Courses

Inc VAT

Full course

£838.80

Case study only

£418.80

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ICAEW member discount

Members are eligible for a discount on these courses, not compatible with any other offer.

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Enterprise licensing

Contact client solutions to purchase multiple courses for your team or organisation.

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Course includes

OnDemand course

An award-winning, flexible, online study option, that gives you the flexibility to study when and where you want, with unique online resources designed to give you structure, keep you motivated, and cement your understanding of the subject.

Instructional videosWatch step-by-step video tutorials that break down complex topics into manageable chunks, helping you build confidence and progress at your own pace.
Use casesExplore real-world business scenarios to see how data analytics is applied in practice, making the learning relevant and immediately applicable.
Practical exercisesReinforce your learning with interactive tasks that let you apply techniques as you go — perfect for building hands-on skills.
12 months’ access to Data Camp^*Contains 400+ other courses included in the course price. With courses covering technologies such as Python, R, Power BI, and Tableau for all levels of ability, you can continue to develop your data skills.
Case studyPut your knowledge to the test with a comprehensive case study that simulates a real management scenario, drawing on the tools and techniques you’ve learned.

^* Not included in the Case Study only course.

This course requires the use of Anaconda, which is a free and open-source distribution of the Python programming language and its related packages. View system requirements

All courses include

Personalised online study space - MyKaplan is an online learning portal that allows you to access additional online materials and take part in discussion forums in one place.

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The structure of the OnDemand platform is perfect.

Being able to study at home gives me so much more flexibility around my job.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the ICAEW Data Analytics Certificate Analyst Pathway?

This course is tailored for finance professionals who wish to develop practical data analytics and visualisation skills. It guides learners through the analytics process, enabling them to harness data to solve business problems and support evidence-based decision-making.

How long does the course take to complete?

The Analyst Pathway takes approximately 60 hours to complete in total. This includes approximately 40 hours of learning content followed by 20 hours dedicated to completing the case study assessment.

What skills will my team develop on this course?

Teams will develop skills in applying data analytics techniques to real-world business questions and using predictive analytics for forecasting. They will also learn to write Python code for data cleaning and manipulation, and create impactful data visualisations to influence decisions.

What skills will my team gain from Kaplan's training?

Your teams can gain job-ready skills in areas such as artificial intelligence, data literacy, and modern technologies including Excel and Power BI. The training is designed to help employees navigate data effectively, automate tasks, and apply these skills directly to solve business challenges.

What does the case study involve?

The case study places the learner in the role of an analyst for a company, tasked with analysing sales data and identifying control weaknesses to identify whether a target company is a good investment for a private equity firm. Candidates must use predictive techniques to forecast sales and identify anomalies in general ledger journals, then communicate their findings to management.

What additional resources are included with the course?

The course includes 12 months of access to DataCamp, which offers over 400 additional courses. This allows learners to continue developing skills in technologies such as Python, R, Power BI, and Tableau.

What qualifications will my team receive upon completion?

Upon successful completion of the course and case study, learners are awarded the ICAEW Data Analytics Certificate (Analyst Pathway)

How much does the course cost?

The full Analyst Pathway course costs £838.80 (including VAT). There is also a Case Study only option available for £418.80 (including VAT) for those who do not require the full learning content.

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