Getting started on your professional BA training can be hard when you’re not sure which route is best for you. Most of our delegates ask about qualifications that will help them make that big career change they have been holding out for. We have narrowed down to two qualifications that we think will take your career to the next level!

The BCS Business Analysis Diploma

The Diploma in Business Analysis was developed by BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT and has become the widely recognised qualification for professionals wanting to become a business analyst or looking to get accredited. It’s becoming expected for all professionals working in the industry to hold this qualification, so whether you are new to the sector or have years of experience this course is something you can’t do without.

The BCS diploma in business analysis consists of one foundation and three practitioner qualifications followed by an oral exam. Each qualification stands alone and, in various combinations, leads to the International BCS Diploma in Business Analysis.

As a training provider, we see a lot of our delegates excelling in their career after getting the Diploma qualification. Let’s talk about some of the major life changes we have seen.

Better job satisfaction

The Business Analysis Diploma teaches you the key knowledge and skills that is necessary for BAs. Of course you could consider that having experienced senior BAs in your team allows you to pick up this knowledge and skills. However, it’s likely you will fall into a cycle of dependency on these senior colleagues to give you time to learn about the role and understand it.

This habit of relying on another colleague prevents you from developing a feeling of certainty in your own decisions and working approaches. This can lower your confidence in your own ability and eventually working on projects become increasingly stressful and start to feel like a chore. Having insecurities at work can make it hard to focus on your development and future success.

The Business Analysis Diploma helps you build your own skillset with industry-approved techniques. This helps you build confidence in yourself and your abilities to help you to feel good, eventually increasing your job satisfaction, and builds up your all-around happiness in your role.

Research by Fadilah (2018) shows that increased self-efficacy and self-esteem leads to improved results at work, and increased success at work is positively related to increased job satisfaction!

“I already had a lot of business analysis skills but doing the diploma re-enforced and really gave me the confidence and improved my job satisfaction. I am now confident that what I am doing is, in fact, the accepted model of tackling problems.” – Angela, Business Analyst

Better employment opportunity

Putting job satisfaction aside, this new gained confidence can make a difference to whether you actually get your first role as a business analyst or not. And this is why professionals new to business analysis tend to choose the Business Analysis Diploma in hopes of getting a new role.

Completing the Diploma involves passing an oral exam and this exam is often described as similar to job interviews for business analyst roles. The preparation for the exam and doing the exam is great practice so alongside the professional qualification, you also gain the skills and confidence to go to an interview and convince the employer that you are the one for the role.

“The oral exam really solidified my knowledge and enabled me to prepare properly” – Imtiaz, Business Analyst

“really helped me gain an understanding of what a BA does but also the different variants of a BA. I am very new to the industry and looking to break into it with no experience” – Jamie on reviews.co.uk

Not to mention that the demand for qualified business analysts in the workforce has increased. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the need for business analysts to increase 14% by 2024. This is one of the highest average percentages among growing occupations.

Find out more about the BCS Business Analysis Diploma

The Business Analyst Apprenticeship

For managers with limited training budgets, the business analyst apprenticeship is the best option for your staff!

The IS Business Analyst Apprenticeship is a level 4 apprenticeship spanning over 13 -18 months with 20% off-the-job training. The programme aims to help apprentices develop business analysis skills. The best part is it includes the BCS Business Analysis Diploma and Agile qualifications.

If your staff are new to business analysis and your company is paying the apprenticeship levy, then we recommend that the Business Analyst Apprenticeship Programme is a better option for professional training. Now, let’s talk about how completing the apprenticeship can change your BA team for the better!

Personal mentoring and increased productivity

As part of the apprenticeship programme, each apprentice is paired with an experienced BA mentor. These one-to-one coaching sessions with a mentor allow apprentices to reflect on their training to ensure that their learning actually fits with the problems that they are facing at work, it helps the apprentice with connecting the theoretical with the practical. All forms of professional training teach you the theory but the apprenticeship programme helps you integrate your new knowledge into your work projects for better success.

Hurst (2014) reviewed that investment from training will increase by 4-fold when you combine training with mentoring to bring the theory to life.

“I use the skills I have learnt during my apprenticeship to identify and analyse problems and inefficient processes, find ways to resolve these problems and set realistic timeframes to ensure these problems are resolved on time, on budget and in scope, with the aim to bring in more efficient working processes for my team and organisation.” – Kerry

Find out more about how a mentor increases your BA team’s success

Promotions and Higher-paying jobs

In the field of business analysis, higher paying jobs are more commonly offered internally to their own staff when vacancies are available. Though experience in the company and a portfolio of successful projects is acknowledged and plays a role, many companies still require staff in these higher positions to hold formal qualifications.

As an employee, you may have the skills to work effectively as a business analyst, but the only thing preventing you from moving up the career ladder in your organisation is your lack of accreditation. The Business Analyst Apprenticeship fills these gaps and helps you to build a stronger candidate profile for yourself. With the the practical experience and industry-recognised certifications, you will be in a better position to secure a promotion or a higher-paying role.

“The apprenticeship allowed me to get the job that I wanted.” – Victoria, Business Analyst

“While my skills were recognised, I was restricted in being able to move my career forward formally.” – Kerry, Business Analyst

In 2020, LinkedIn listed Business Analysis as “one of the careers with the fastest salary growths”. Forbes also reported in 2020 that business analysis will move towards implementing agile work practices to embrace business change. Considering that the apprenticeship programme incorporates both BCS courses and agile qualifications, it is likely to enable future success for BA’s in such a fast-changing industry.

Find out more about the Business Analyst Apprenticeship