Partnerships in training

Capital One Financial Corporation supplies credit products in the US. Since 1995, it has followed an information-based strategy, collecting and analyzing data to improve its business decisions. To continue this successful strategy, it must train its analysts in analytical techniques. In a partnership between Capital One and the Department of Statistical Sciences and Operations Research at Virginia Commonwealth University, we developed three training courses in forecasting, optimization, and simulation. These courses have been well received by the analysts and have led to considerable early return on investment with one class project forecast to reduce costs at the firm's Richmond, Virginia mail center by more than $2 million annually.