Certified ESG Data Analyst
1 seat for yourself, or buy for a team: 2–5 seats 10% off, 6–10 20%, 11–20 30%. You assign each seat by email afterwards.
For: Students, recent graduates, and early-career professionals who want to turn fragmented, messy ESG data into an auditable, investor-grade output inside a live platform.
You train inside the same governance software you will operate in a real role, anchored to the standards that regulators, investors and assurers use. You finish able to design and operate the controls and evidence that stand up to scrutiny, and you hold a credential that proves it.
What you will be able to do after completing CEDA-001
The applied entry credential for ESG data work. This is not ESG literacy, not a reporting-standards course, and not an investment-analyst course. It teaches the one thing those cannot: how to take fragmented, dirty ESG data and turn it into a clean, auditable, decision-useful output inside a live governance platform. A graduate can build a defensible ESG dataset from messy sources, compute the core numbers, ship a dashboard that shows its own data quality, and use AI to accelerate the work while catching what the AI gets wrong — which is exactly the hiring-screen skill an employer cannot get from a MOOC or a lecture.
- Translate a disclosure requirement — for example IFRS S2 gross Scope 1, 2 and 3 — into the specific data fields, units, and source systems needed to satisfy it
- Pull ESG data from fragmented sources (facility returns, utility invoices, ERP extracts, HR exports, supplier submissions) and structure it into a clean, analysable inventory
- Run variance and plausibility checks — catch outliers, unit inconsistencies, double-counts, boundary contamination, and stale or inconsistent factors
- Apply an estimation hierarchy to fill data gaps and document the estimate rather than silently filling the hole, and assign data-quality tiers against defined criteria
- Compute Scope 1, 2 and 3 figures from clean activity data with supplied factors, applying market-based and location-based Scope 2 correctly and knowing why they differ
- Calculate intensity and normalisation ratios and core social and governance metrics, and explain how third-party ESG ratings are constructed and why providers disagree
- Build a working ESG dashboard in CorpStage ESG 360 that surfaces data-quality tiers and uncertainty in the output rather than hiding them behind a clean-looking number
- Use AI to accelerate extraction, factor mapping, and the narrative layer — and verify every AI output against the source before it ships, keeping an audit trail of what the AI produced, what you checked, and what you corrected
Four applied modules, a Responsible-AI unit, and a live capstone.
Frameworks as a Data Specification
Every framework read as a data requirement, never as theory. Given IFRS S1 and S2, the GHG Protocol, GRI and SASB: what numbers must you produce, at what granularity, from what source. You produce a field map — a data-requirements dictionary for a defined reporting scope — and learn to tell what each framework mandates as a number from what it frames as narrative.
Collection, Cleaning and Data Quality
The core entry-level job, and the module that carries the most weight. Pull data from fragmented sources and structure it; run variance and plausibility checks; identify outliers, unit errors, double-counts, boundary contamination, and stale factors; apply and document an estimation hierarchy for gaps; assign data-quality tiers. AI-assisted extraction and anomaly-flagging are introduced here as a first pass — taught after the manual competence is in place, never as the final check.
Quantitative ESG: Computing the Metrics
Computing the numbers on clean, bounded data. Scope 1, 2 and 3 from clean activity data using supplied emission factors; market-based and location-based Scope 2 and why they differ; recognising when a factor is mis-applied; intensity and normalisation ratios and core social and governance metrics; and how third-party ratings are built. AI factor-mapping is taught paired with verification against the source factor set — the pairing is the skill.
Dashboards, Visualization and Decision-Useful Output
The produced artefact, not a demo. Build a working ESG dashboard on the ESG 360 dashboard surface, driven by the cleaned inventory and computed metrics. Surface data-quality tiers and uncertainty in the output — the single habit that separates a defensible dashboard from a misleading one — and produce output a non-specialist reader can act on. AI handles the narrative layer, with every AI-generated claim verified against the underlying data before it ships.
Using AI in ESG, and Governing It
A separately assessed unit and the bridge to the AI-governance ladder. Apply the reliability map: where AI is dependable on ESG data, where it degrades, and where it is unsafe. Make the defensible-estimate-versus-hallucination judgment on a real output, build an audit trail for an AI-assisted analysis, and understand why an AI output needs a reporting architecture around it to be usable.
The Learn-to-Work Loop in ESG 360
A full loop in the live platform. You are provisioned into ESG 360, handed a deliberately messy dataset, use the AI features to accelerate, catch what the AI gets wrong, build the dashboard, and ship an auditable, investor-grade output — the artefact you can show an employer.
Become the person who can make ESG data hold up
ESG teams are drowning in fragmented, inconsistent data and short of people who can actually operate it. Most universities teach ESG as theory. Most employers need someone who can take the messy dataset and produce a number that survives review.
The Certified ESG Data Analyst programme builds exactly that operator skill. Four applied modules — frameworks as a data specification, data collection and quality, computing the metrics, and dashboards and decision-useful output — plus a separately assessed Responsible-AI unit and a full capstone worked inside CorpStage ESG 360. No coding is required: the spine is Excel and Sheets and the platform. An optional Python/SQL add-on badge is available for those who want it, taught after the manual competence is in place.
By the end you can take fragmented ESG data, clean it, compute the core Scope 1, 2 and 3 numbers, build a dashboard that surfaces its own data quality, and use AI to accelerate the work while catching what the AI gets wrong — with an audit trail behind every figure.
This programme is designed for
- University students and recent graduates, from any degree background, who want an applied, demonstrable ESG data skill before entering the workforce
- Early-career professionals in ESG-adjacent roles who need to operate real data, not just describe frameworks
- Career changers from finance, accounting, engineering, operations, or the sciences moving into ESG data work
- Analysts who want a credential backed by a produced artefact — a real dashboard built in a live platform — not just a certificate
Self-paced learning with live support
Self-paced modules
The four core modules, the Responsible-AI unit, and the capstone are available immediately after enrolment through the CorpStage Portal. Work through them at your own pace. There is no deadline for completion and no maximum time limit.
Live Q&A sessions
Regular live sessions with the programme faculty where participants can ask questions, work through the data exercises, and discuss how the module content applies to real ESG data and real roles.
Applied practicals
Each module is built around hands-on practicals worked on real, messy data inside CorpStage ESG 360 — clean this dataset, compute this metric, catch this defect — not theory questions. The practicals are the point of the credential.
Capstone
A full learn-to-work loop in ESG 360: a provisioned dataset to clean, compute, verify with AI, and turn into an auditable dashboard. The capstone artefact is the thing you show an employer.
Certificate
The Certified ESG Data Analyst (CEDA-001) certificate is issued on successful completion. It carries your name, credential code, date of issue, and CorpStage Academy seal, along with a unique credential ID and a QR code that links to a public verification page at corpstage.com/verify, so an employer can confirm it independently.
Everything in the programme fee of USD 600
- Full access to the four modules, the Responsible-AI unit, and the capstone via CorpStage Portal immediately on enrolment
- Applied practicals and the capstone worked on real data inside CorpStage ESG 360
- Live Q&A support sessions with programme faculty
- Assessment with two resit attempts included
- Optional stackable Python/SQL add-on badge, taught and assessed after the core path
- Certified ESG Data Analyst (CEDA-001) certificate on successful completion
- Access to module recordings for 12 months after completion
- Access to CorpStage ESG 360 (corpstage.app) for the duration of the programme
CEDA-001 is the starting point. Here is where it leads.
Certified ESG Controller (CEC-001)
If you want to govern the data, not just produce it. Covers ESG data architecture, methodology, internal controls, and assurance readiness. The natural step up for a data analyst moving into a senior ESG or finance role.
View programme →Certified Carbon Accounting and GHG Assurance (CAGA-001)
If you want to move from producing GHG numbers to assuring them. Covers defensible inventories, financed emissions, and reaching an assurance conclusion to ISSA 5000. The specialist step for analysts moving toward carbon assurance.
View programme →Certified AI Governance Lead (CAIGL-001)
If the Responsible-AI unit interests you and you want to govern AI, not just use it on a dataset. Covers the EU AI Act, AI risk classification, and enterprise AI governance — the ladder the Responsible-AI unit points to.
View programme →Dr. Nisha Kohli
Programme Director, CEDA-001
Dr. Nisha Kohli is the Founder and CEO of CorpStage. She is a Chartered Accountant, holds a PhD in Corporate Governance, and is a CFA Level III candidate. She teaches on the AIT School of Management Professional Masters in ESG programme (SM97.03) and lectures on the Singapore CA Qualification Integrative Business Solutions programme. The CEDA-001 programme is designed to give students and early-career professionals a genuinely applied, hands-on data skill — the ability to operate messy ESG data and ship an auditable output — without assuming any prior ESG background or requiring anyone to code.
Enrol in Certified ESG Data Analyst (CEDA-001)
Price: USD 600. Status: Open for enrolment.
Payment is processed securely via Stripe. All major cards accepted. Invoice available on request for corporate enrolments. After payment you receive access credentials for the CorpStage Portal within one working day.
1 seat for yourself, or buy for a team: 2–5 seats 10% off, 6–10 20%, 11–20 30%. You assign each seat by email afterwards.
Questions before you enrol
Do I need any prior knowledge or experience to enrol?
No. The programme is designed for people new to ESG, from any degree background. A basic comfort with spreadsheets is helpful, but no prior ESG, finance, or science background is required.
Do I need to know how to code?
No. The core credential is built on Excel and Sheets and the ESG 360 platform — no coding is required. There is an optional stackable Python/SQL add-on badge for those who want it, taught and assessed after you have the manual competence in place. It never gates the certified path.
How long does the programme take?
Most participants complete it in four to six weeks. There is no deadline and no maximum time limit. You can work through it as quickly or as slowly as suits you.
Is CEDA-001 recognised by employers?
The Certified ESG Data Analyst credential is issued by CorpStage Academy. It certifies a specific, hands-on skill — turning messy ESG data into an auditable, investor-grade output inside a live platform — and the capstone produces a real dashboard artefact you can show, which is what employers screen for.
What is the difference between CEDA-001 and CEC-001?
CEDA-001 is the applied entry credential: it teaches you to produce clean, computed, decision-useful ESG data. CEC-001 is the senior credential that governs and assures that data — architecture, controls, methodology, and assurance readiness. In short, CEDA is the hands that produce the data; CEC governs it. Most people do CEDA-001 first and CEC-001 once they are working in an ESG role.
Can I do CEDA-001 and CEC-001 together?
You can enrol in both if you have relevant professional experience. A CEDA-to-CEC pathway is available as a discount, but CEDA does not grant module exemptions into CEC — the two credentials certify different things and the senior credential is assessed in full.
What happens if I do not pass the assessment?
Two resit attempts are included in the programme fee. If you need additional attempts beyond the two included, contact the academy team.
Can my university or employer pay by invoice?
Yes. Contact us before enrolling and we will issue an invoice. Payment terms are 14 days from invoice date. CEDA-001 is also available for institutional licensing to universities and career offices.
Is the programme available in languages other than English?
Currently English only. Contact us if you have specific language requirements for a group or institutional enrolment.
Will this help me get a job in ESG?
The programme gives you an applied, demonstrable skill and a produced artefact — a real ESG dashboard built in a live platform — that most graduates cannot show. It will not guarantee a job, but it gives you a specific, verifiable credential and the hands-on ability to back it up in an interview.
Can I access the course materials after completing the programme?
Yes. You have access to all module recordings for 12 months after completing the assessment.
Related programmes
All course access, progress, and certificates are managed through the CorpStage Portal.