Things to prepare:

• Use a personal laptop (not a tablet or phone) or confirm with your IT department that your corporate device can access Google Colab (colab.research.google.com) and a Google account.
• No installation or prior setup is needed beyond this — everything runs in the browser.

Python has become the world's most in-demand programming language — used daily at companies like Meta, Amazon, and Google to power everything from data analysis to machine learning. This one-day, hands-on workshop introduces Python to non-technical business professionals with zero prior coding experience.

Delivered entirely on Google Colab (no software installation required), participants will progress from Python fundamentals through to real, practical applications: cleaning and analysing data with pandas (Python's Excel-like data tool), building charts, and automating Excel and Word reports. The day closes with a mini capstone exercise applying everything learned to a realistic business dataset.

Objective

At the end of this highly interactive workshop, successful participants will be able to:

• Explain what Python is and why it's used by leading global companies
• Write basic Python code using variables, data types, conditionals, loops, and functions
• Use pandas — Python's tool for working with spreadsheet-style data — to clean, filter, and analyse business data faster than manual Excel methods
• Create charts and visualisations using matplotlib and seaborn (Python's charting libraries)
• Apply Python to everyday work tools — automating tasks in Excel and Word

Outline

1. What is Python & Why It Matters

• How Python is used in leading companies such as Amazon and Netflix
• A brief look at the simple design principles behind why Python code is easy to read

2. Explore Python's Ecosystem (overview, no lab)

• A guided tour of the Python ecosystem map and the most useful tools and libraries available today

3. Python Fundamentals — The Building Blocks

• Variables & data types, calculations, decision-making (if / elif / else), loops, and writing reusable functions
• Hands-on lab throughout — every concept is practised immediately

4. Data Manipulation with Python — pandas

• Working with pandas DataFrames — the Excel-to-pandas equivalents for filtering, sorting, and pivoting large datasets

5. Data Visualisation with Python

• Building charts with matplotlib and seaborn to turn raw data into clear business insights

6. Python in Your Work Context — Excel & Word

• Reading data from Excel into Colab and automating data processing before saving and exporting as an Excel file
• Writing a nicely formatted Word report in Colab and exporting it as a document

7. Capstone

• Working individually or in pairs, apply the day's skills — cleaning, analysing, and visualising a realistic business dataset — to produce a short set of insights and an exported chart or report
• Trainer circulates for 1:1 support; participants choose the depth that matches their comfort level

8. Wrap-Up & Resources

• Recap of key concepts and open Q&A

Who should attend

This course is suitable for professionals across all departments — including finance, operations, HR, marketing, sales, and project management — who want to use Python to work with data more efficiently, without needing a technical or programming background. It is ideal for analysts, executives, and team leads who regularly work with spreadsheets and reports and want to automate repetitive tasks or explore what Python can do for their role. No prior programming experience is required — just curiosity.

Methodology

Highly experiential, combining short facilitated inputs, live demonstrations, hands-on labs, and group discussions. Heavier, skill-building modules (fundamentals, pandas) get the most practice time; the ecosystem tour is kept short and conceptual so the day's cognitive load stays manageable for complete beginners, and the capstone gets a generous block to consolidate everything.

Ong Shi Ke's Profile

Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science (Research: Physics-Based Neural Networks) | ACLP Certified | Adjunct Faculty/Lecturer | Adjunct Corporate Trainer | IBM Enterprise Design Thinking Practitioner | MOE Accredited


Shi Ke is a technology trainer and STEM educator who bridges research and real-world application and is passionate about fostering engaging, supportive learning environments. With hands-on experience spanning micro-nano fabrication, 3D printing, and computational simulations, she brings strong technical grounding to every workshop she delivers.

She designs learning experiences that make complex technology accessible — whether that is demystifying 3D printing or helping professionals automate their workflows with Python. Her teaching style is rooted in interactive activities, creative analogies, and real-world scenarios. She has trained over 100 adult learners in technology applications and data science—including mini-masterclasses for retail professionals (NTUC LearningHub) and WSQ Data Science Bootcamp participants at a major Accredited Training Organization— and draws directly on her own experience building standalone executable Python applications, having reduced manual processing time by over 50%, when teaching professionals to do the same.

Core Competencies
• 3D Printing (FDM & SLA) — Practical Application & Workflow
• Python Programming for Workplace Automation
• Curriculum Design & Instructional Delivery
• Data Science & Simulation (MATLAB, ANSYS FLUENT)
• CAD & Rapid Prototyping (Arduino, 3D printing)

Certifications & Professional Qualifications
• Advanced Certificate in Learning and Performance (ACLP)
• IBM Certified Enterprise Design Thinking Practitioner
• Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science