• The South African Reserve Bank has opened applications for its Data Science Graduate Programme for 2025.
• Selected graduates will work at the Tech Department within the central bank for a year and earn a stipend.
• There are some requirements for the programme, including knowledge in coding.

Attention all data science graduates: the South African Reserve Bank is looking to employ graduates in a number of fields related to data, including machine learning, AI, Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, IT, engineering and more.

These graduates will take part in a series of learning opportunities at the SARB Academy and even be paid a monthly stipend, though there are a few requirements to take part in the one year programme.

“Data science is an inter-disciplinary field that uses scientific methods, processes, algorithms and systems to extract knowledge and insights from structured and unstructured data,” the SARB shares in its blog post about the programme.

“The core outcome of this programme is to develop deep capabilities in advanced analytics in central banking,” it adds.

Those accepted will be placed in the Business Systems and Technology Department within the SARB from January 2025 to December 2025 to earn much-needed at work experience.

“The programme offers opportunities for a Data Science track, and graduates will work in a Data Lab environment from time to time, on various use cases,” SARB explains.

Requirements to be admitted to the SARB Data Science programme

While the bank hasn’t revealed how many post-graduates it will be taking on as part of the programme next year, it has indicated certain requirements that need to be met for post-graduates to be considered. These include that they must be qualified, or are busy with earning a qualification in:

• “Data Science,
• Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence,
• Predictive Analytics Modelling,
• Statistics,
• Applied Mathematics,
• Economics with Econometrics,
• Information Technology,
• Engineering,
• and Business Mathematics and Informatics.”

There are additional requirements which some may find a bit more difficult to meet, including:

• “Coding with R and/or Python; 
• be a South African citizen; 
• be a curious, innovative and self-motivated individual with strong analytical skills;
• have a proven track record of academic excellence with an overall average mark of 70% and above; and
• have excellent communication and interpersonal skills.”

Reminder that this programme is looking for NQF 8 owners, meaning honours degree or other post-graduate diploma.

To apply, check this blog post and scroll down to the bottom.

[Image – Photo by Carlos Muza on Unsplash]