Education for business analysts in Poland

Abstract

The research aim is to investigate the relationship between skills required for a business analyst’s (BA) job and learning outcomes from selected Library and Information Science (LIS) degrees in Poland. Two hypotheses are stated: 1. Employers in Poland look for their future BAs among graduates with different degrees; 2. LIS-related degrees provide the core competences required for a BA job in Poland. An analysis of job offers for BAs in Poland was made, along with a comparative analysis of BA skills from the Standard Classification of Occupations, version 3 of the Guide to Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK 3), job offers and learning outcomes from Polish LIS-related degree courses. The most common requirements posted in job offers are language skills, knowledge of IT tools, communication, presentation and mediation skills, personality traits and analytical skills. Distinctive BA features such as understanding the nature of business analysis, requirements engineering, using notations and process frameworks, systems modelling and programming were found only in job offers and BABOK 3. Recommendations are made for LIS-related degree courses on how to deal with the mismatch between the skills required in the job market and those received through formal education.