How a Digital Business Analyst Apprenticeship Can Accelerate Your Career

Are you a business analyst looking for ways to take your organisation’s digital transformation journey to the next level with the deployment of data-informed digital solutions? Are you keen to add vital future-proofing skills to your CV? 

Did you know that companies who use big data as part of their decision making see an 8% increase in profit and a 10% reduction in costs compared to those businesses that don't.

Cambridge Spark’s Digital Business Analyst apprenticeship offers an exciting way to upskill and get hands-on experience with cutting-edge digital techniques and practices.

Carry on reading to learn more about this programme and how it can help you advance your career with specialist digital skills. 

What is a Digital Business Analyst?

So, what exactly is the difference between a traditional BA and a digital BA? Business analytics is the process of interpreting an organisation's data to inform decisions that have significant consequences for the company as a whole.

The primary goal is to analyse data in order to provide the different types of information required to carry out organisational change. 

The essential skills needed to thrive as a business analyst today include (but are not limited to):

• Solid and proven analytical skills
• Proficiency with process modelling tools
• Familiarity with data research
• Deep knowledge of spreadsheet and word processing tools and;
• Project management experience.

The more digitally-driven and forward thinking analyst needs all of the essential skills just mentioned.

Although they might be less hands-on around data processing and analysis, they will also need a fundamental understanding of data, digital tools, and approaches to identify opportunities for improvement alongside skills for influencing and managing change.

Enter the Digital Business Analyst apprenticeship

So how do you acquire these skills? Cambridge Spark’s DBA apprenticeship (launched in early 2022) enables professionals to combine their expertise with new commercially focused digital skills. These new skills assist learners in recognising and implementing new opportunities and digital changes within their businesses.

Using the Level 4 Business Analyst apprenticeship standard, the programme is designed for those ready and keen to introduce the digital tools, systems and approaches needed to achieve their organisation's digital transformation roadmap.

Lisa Cooney, Products and Services Manager at TrendBible achieved a total saving of 647 hours per year, for her organisation, by adopting an end-to-end agency management system, after upskilling with the apprenticeship.

Here's what she had to say about what motivated her to undertake the apprenticeship:

"I knew if we were going to become more data-driven in our decision making, then I needed to equip myself with all the right tools to support the business in making those decisions. So when I heard about the apprenticeship I thought, 'That’s exactly what I need!'" Lisa Cooney, Products & Services Manager

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How this apprenticeship can accelerate both your team and your career

Over the course of 14 months and 13 modules of government-funded learning, the apprenticeship trains and equips business analytics professionals with the skills and know-how they need to: 

1. Encourage digital transformation within their teams - This could include introducing digital tools, systems and approaches.
2. Advance into more digital roles - Become more digitally literate, digitally skilled and data savvy to enable career progression, specifically into more digital focussed roles.
3. Contribute to their organisation's digital transformation - The apprenticeship helps build learners skills and confidence in order to play a role in delivering their organisation’s digital transformation.
4. Understand how to implement more robust business processes - The apprenticeship equips learners with the know how on how data science, machine learning and AI can be used to implement more effective business processes.
5. Acquire data-driven capabilities - Including storytelling with data and Excel for data collection, analysis, data-driven insights and business process modelling. 
6. Gain skills in leadership for digital transformation - These skills include change management and stakeholder management for anyone looking to manage process driven changes within teams and departments.

Is this apprenticeship the right programme for you?

In summary, the apprenticeship equips those with vital skills to not only advance in their own digital careers but also equips learners with skills that aid in the digital transformation of the organisations they work for.

Are you keen to accelerate your career with digital skills and drive digital transformation within your organisation? Discover more about the apprenticeship.