BCS Requirements Engineering copy

In-house Training All our business analyst courses can be delivered in-house to your team. We can deliver at your premises, at our premises near Old Street in London or virtually. Benefits:

•         Want the team to discuss and concentrate on the company’s projects, situations and challenges during the training
•         Concentrate on team’s skills development goals that need to be achieved
•         Have more than 7 people to train

Cons:

•         Not suitable for busy teams who work on demanding projects - all team members need to take time off at the same time
•         Time-consuming – arranging the in-house session can take more time than booking someone on a public course or enrolling them in an apprenticeship programme
•         Can be expensive if you need to train a small team

Apprenticeship programme Benefits:         It is more than just training – it is about developing highly skilled team members who adopt the knowledge and skills they learn during the courses         Customisable business analysis skills development plan in accordance with your team and company’s skills development needs         Your team members get supported by a personal expert BA mentor to apply the skills and knowledge they learn on courses         Develop highly-skilled employees who can take ownership and perform in their role         Benefit from levy money to pay for the training which saves the company money Cons:

•         Requires time commitment and is not recommended for employees with busy work schedules

Find out more  Download Apprenticeship Brochure for Managers Public courses Benefits:

•         Your team doesn’t have to take time off work at the same time
•         Team members have flexibility when they can attend the courses and they can fit it around their work schedules
•         Allows them to train in a neutral environment and learn from other delegates
•         Cost-effective

Cons:

•         Can be expensive for big teams and an in-house option might be more appropriate

Find out more

When it comes to building a superstar team that can exceed all of your expectations as a manager, you might instinctively want to hire in new talent that will close skill gaps that you’ve noticed crop up in your existing team time and time again. Below, we give you five reasons why that instinct is leading you astray, why you should invest in the team that you already have now, and how you can enable growth in your team.  

1. It costs less in the long run

As a manager, you know that hiring in new talent isn’t exactly an inexpensive process; whether you use a recruiter or choose to find someone yourself, you’re either paying in time or money. In fact, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that hiring a new salaried employee can cost from six to nine months worth of their salary on average. The average salary in the UK is £27,721 which would mean that recruitment would cost from £13,000 to £20,000. Not only will you need to find the room in your budget for a whole other salary, but you then have to consider recruiters fees, the cost of the hours that you and several other people in your business would have to spend during the recruiting process, and getting the new recruit up to speed with how your business runs. 

2. They’re more likely to stay in the job for longer

SHRM also found, with data from a study of 32 million people on LinkedIn, that employees who are not only given the opportunity to rise through the ranks but also the opportunity to move laterally are 70% and 62% respectively more likely to stay at a business for more than three years than their counterparts that aren’t. Without this opportunity, that number decreases to just 45%. In fact, it seems that businesses that don’t afford their employees opportunities to advance their career internally only have a long term employee retention rate of 38%.  When you train and up-skill your team members, they stick around. 

3. They already know the business so can hit the ground running and perform quicker

Bringing in new team members means delays in results as they get to grips with their new role, new team, and new company. According to Training Industry Quarterly it can take one to two years before a new employee is ‘fully productive’ and is able to be as productive as current team members. That’s a lot of time - and results - lost. There are many reasons why new recruits can take so long to become productive, including a lack of encouragement and management having the time to support them fully. By up-skilling and closing skill gaps with current employees through training, you’ll miss out on months - maybe even years - of less results while a new team member gets to grips with their new job.

4. It saves managers and senior team members time

The previous point leads nicely into reason number four; the amount of time that it takes managers or senior team members to get new recruits up to speed will not only mean wasted money by paying them to do something that isn’t their day to day job, it also means less productivity from the entire team. The Boston Consulting Group found that the on-boarding and training experience is the second most influential when it comes to new employee success and productivity, so if you or senior members of your team don’t have the time to invest in this then you’re likely to face the same problem some months down the line.

5. New employees need training anyway

As we’ve already discussed, a new team member is going to need training on the job anyway, even if they possess a skill that plugs a gap in your team. The likelihood of a new recruit joining your team and working to the same level of your existing team members and getting the same results is minuscule… so doesn’t it just make more sense to close the skill gaps in your existing team?  

Interested in up-skilling your current talent?

Research from the World Economic Forum has shown that employers can re-skill up to 25% of their employees themselves, but with help from the government that number can increase to 77%.  The Apprenticeship Levy does exactly that - it is essentially a pot of money that your business is likely paying into but not utilising for free training. Even if your business is not paying the Levy, the government will still foot 95% of the bill, meaning that your team members would receive a high quality Business Analyst qualification for just 5% of the cost.

Get in touch to optimise your team's performance

On October 28th 2021, we will be introducing new pricing plans. Our prices have remained the same over the last three years, meaning that every time there has been a price increase from suppliers we have absorbed that cost. Unfortunately, this is no longer sustainable and due to increasing exam prices and changes in the syllabus, our pricing will now have to reflect this. These increased prices mean that we can continue to serve our delegates with 5* service that keeps pass rates high and that will reflect the needs of our delegates better. Below is a quick overview of the pricing changes:

Business Analysis Courses (individual)

The price plans shown below apply to our following courses: BCS Business Analysis Practice, BCS Requirements Engineering, BCS Modelling Business Processes, BCS Agile Systems Development Essentials, BCS Foundation in Business Analysis, BCS Foundation in Business Change, BCS Organisational Behaviour. Our current prices:

• Weekday - £795+VAT
• Weekend - £895+VAT

New prices from 28th October 2021:

• Weekday (Virtual) - £995+VAT
• Weekday (Classroom) - £1195+VAT
• Weekend (Virtual Only)- £1395+VAT

BCS Business Analysis Diploma (Bundles)

Standard Business Analysis Diploma Bundle (Virtual) - It is currently priced at £2695+VAT. From 28th October 2021, it will be priced at £3495+VAT (save £900). Standard Business Analysis Diploma Bundle (Classroom) - From 28th October 2021, it will be priced at £3895+VAT (save £1300). Weekend Courses Bundle (Virtual Only) - From 28th October 2021, it will be priced at £4295+VAT (save £1700).   Limited time offer: If you purchase any business analysis course or bundle package by 28th October 2021, you will receive the product at the current price, no matter when you decide to take the course or exam. Book ahead of time now to save some money!

The foundation in the title convinces a lot of professionals to start their training with this course. This is not however mandatory. The BCS qualifications are modular which means you can take them in any order and work your way towards the higher level qualification, the BCS Business Analysis certificate. The foundation in the title convinces a lot of professionals to start their training with this course. This is not however mandatory. The BCS qualifications are modular which means you can take them in any order and work your way towards the higher level qualification, the BCS Business Analysis certificate.

3 Mistakes Rookie Business Analyst

The foundation in the title convinces a lot of professionals to start their training with this course. This is not however mandatory. The BCS qualifications are modular which means you can take them in any order and work your way towards the higher level qualification, the BCS Business Analysis certificate. We could do the following:

• The foundation in the title convinces a lot of professionals to start their training with this course. This is not however mandatory. The BCS qualifications are modular which means you can take them in any order and work your way towards the higher level qualification, the BCS Business Analysis certificate.
• The foundation in the title convinces a lot of professionals to start their training with this course. This is not however mandatory. The BCS qualifications are modular which means you can take them in any order and work your way towards the higher level qualification, the BCS Business Analysis certificate.

3 Mistakes Rookie Business Analyst

The foundation in the title convinces a lot of professionals to start their training with this course. This is not however mandatory. The BCS qualifications are modular which means you can take them in any order and work your way towards the higher level qualification, the BCS Business Analysis certificate.

3 Mistakes Rookie Business Analyst

The foundation in the title convinces a lot of professionals to start their training with this course. This is not however mandatory. The BCS qualifications are modular which means you can take them in any order and work your way towards the higher level qualification, the BCS Business Analysis certificate. The foundation in the title convinces a lot of professionals to start their training with this course. This is not however mandatory. The BCS qualifications are modular which means you can take them in any order and work your way towards the higher level qualification, the BCS Business Analysis certificate. The foundation in the title convinces a lot of professionals to start their training with this course. This is not however mandatory. The BCS qualifications are modular which means you can take them in any order and work your way towards the higher level qualification, the BCS Business Analysis certificate.

In-house Training All our business analyst courses can be delivered in-house to your team. We can deliver at your premises, at our premises near Old Street in London or virtually. Benefits:

•         Want the team to discuss and concentrate on the company’s projects, situations and challenges during the training
•         Concentrate on team’s skills development goals that need to be achieved
•         Have more than 7 people to train

Cons:

•         Not suitable for busy teams who work on demanding projects - all team members need to take time off at the same time
•         Time-consuming – arranging the in-house session can take more time than booking someone on a public course or enrolling them in an apprenticeship programme
•         Can be expensive if you need to train a small team

Apprenticeship programme Benefits:         It is more than just training – it is about developing highly skilled team members who adopt the knowledge and skills they learn during the courses         Customisable business analysis skills development plan in accordance with your team and company’s skills development needs         Your team members get supported by a personal expert BA mentor to apply the skills and knowledge they learn on courses         Develop highly-skilled employees who can take ownership and perform in their role         Benefit from levy money to pay for the training which saves the company money Cons:

•         Requires time commitment and is not recommended for employees with busy work schedules

Find out more  Download Apprenticeship Brochure for Managers Public courses Benefits:

•         Your team doesn’t have to take time off work at the same time
•         Team members have flexibility when they can attend the courses and they can fit it around their work schedules
•         Allows them to train in a neutral environment and learn from other delegates
•         Cost-effective

Cons:

•         Can be expensive for big teams and an in-house option might be more appropriate

Find out more

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