Will Your School Be Part of This Bright Future?

Skills gaps are widening and role delineations in many professions are less clear with overlapping capabilities blurring the lines. According to a recent LinkedIn study, business analysis skill ranked #6 in the top 15 skills companies need most in 2020.¹ 

In my blog, Why Students Want Greater Access to Business Analysis Courses I touch on the rapidly growing field of Business Analysis citing that the US Department of Labor states that jobs related to business analysis are projected to increase 14 percent from 2018 to 2028.² That is nine percent higher than the average growth rate for all occupations. This means jobs that require business analysis capabilities will outnumber qualified candidates.

 

So, what’s attracting students to pursue a career in business analysis? Is it more than job stability? In my blog I share a LinkedIn career story of a former Civil Engineering major who discovered business analysis through an internship, and it changed his career path. What was so appealing about business analysis? Well, according to the LinkedIn story, he wanted to leave a “positive impact on the company’s goals, product’s improvements, and client’s needs.” Other reasons for his career shift were the ability to collaborate with professionals across the organization and to be challenged in his career.

On February 26th IIBA takes a deep dive into this high demand skillset and the evolution of the profession and practice. In this webinar we will explore how colleges and universities can increase their revenue opportunities by offering high demand courses while also ensuring learners have access to the information needed to develop the skills companies need most in 2020.¹

IIBA’s Academic Program offers your institution the option to support your students with the next step in their academic journey. IIBA partners can choose to create a stand-alone continuing education program or a course within a diploma at the graduate or undergraduate level. Leveraging IIBA’s licensed content such as the BABOK® Guide and a knowledge and competency-based curriculum framework you can create a rich variety of materials through the delivery of your own business analysis courses and programs. Depending on the number of programs or courses you offer you have infinite opportunities to maximize your return on your initial program investment of $2000 US.

In Canada, McGill University School of Continuing Studies offers students the opportunity to earn a Professional Development Certificate in Business Analysis. McGill’s curriculum for this certificate emphasizes practical application of business analysis principles, tools and methodology as outlined in the industry’s standard A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK® Guide). Across the globe in Ireland, Cork University Business School identified an opportunity to provide undergraduate students with an industry recognized qualification for its BSc. undergraduate. Graduates of the Business Information Systems (BIS) can achieve a Certificate in Business Analysis. The courses within this certificate are endorsed by IIBA. The curriculum is again based on IIBA’s industry recognized BABOK® Guide.

Colleges and universities offering certificate programs for entry level professionals provide a key foundational piece to help raise the standards of the business analysis practice and profession and foster the next generation of business analysis professionals.

 

 

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References:  

1. CNBCTV18 https://www.cnbctv18.com/business/linkedin-says-these-are-the-top-15-skills-companies-need-most-in-2020-5037841.htm  
   
   
2. United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/management-analysts.html.