A common dilemma in the Business Analytics space is that recruiters and top organisations look for candidates with prior experience. Just having a Business Analytics certification from an Analytics training institute doesn’t qualify one for a top-level job. Candidates are not only expected to identify the best analytical approach to solve a business problem, but also effectively implement the ideal solution. While some online courses can help candidates develop a theoretical framework, they lack personalised mentorship from a community of practicing experts, which is essential for learning how to build solutions for problems in the industry and become job ready.

That is why mentorship plays a key role in Analytics programs for those candidates seeking a transformative learning experience and career advancement or transitions into careers in Business Analytics. Rolled out in 2016, Great Learning’s Business Analytics Certificate Program was one of the first program to be offered through the Great Learning platform.

According to Dr Bappaditya Mukhopadhyay, Professor – Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurgaon said, “BACP covers most of the tools and techniques an aspiring Business Analyst or Data Scientist should know, to be competitive and valuable in the Analytics industry, in an applied manner.”

BACP, offered in an online format, has earned considerable distinction for its excellent faculty and mentorship. BACP which is offered in conjunction with Great Lakes Institute of Management answers the industry’s demand for high-tech professionals by being focussed on a practical and application-oriented pedagogy. This focus prepares students for careers in Business Analytics and sets them up for future success. “BACP enables candidates looking to transition into the world of Business Analytics with a unique learning experience where they learn from some of India’s top Data Science academicians and are mentored by industry experts weekly as they work through a number of real world projects and case studies”, says Arjun Nair, Director – Great Learning.

Program Overview

The curriculum is divided into 6 modules where learners start by building a foundation in programming using R and Statistics before moving onto learning advanced Analytics techniques. Another 3 optional modules are also provided for those looking to learn Data Visualization using Tableau, Data Science using Python & Big Data technologies.

The mandatory 6 modules can be covered in 6 months, while the optional modules will take another 3 months to complete. In total, candidates will experience 150 hours of learning through lecture videos, practice exercises, assessments & mini projects, in addition to 48 hours of personalized mentorship.  

Career Transitions — Hear It From BACP Alumni

Great Lakes has been training professionals in Analytics over the last 5 years and 66% of these candidates have seen successful career transitions within 6 months. Most candidates mention how projects and mentorship played a key role in helping candidates grow or transition to higher paying Analytics roles.  

UAE-based Aswath, Credit Analyst at Dunia, a leading financial organisation, opted for the program not just for its ease of learning and stellar faculty, but also because of the well-structured curriculum that gives learners the ability to apply Data Science decision-making to organisations effectively. “Anybody who wants to make a career in the Business Analytics field should actually have a look at this program to see how it is going to be interesting for them, and also others who are currently working and looking to upskill themselves with Analytics, because Analytics is going to be the future,” said Aswath.

Another alumnus Dhruv Kartikey, Test Analyst at EdgeVerve Systems Limited seconded Aswath’s viewpoints. Kartikey emphasised that the best part of the program is the reinforcement through multiple examples and mentored learning sessions on how Analytics techniques can be applied to solve real world business problems. “There are various points that contribute to this, such as the quality content that is designed by the world-class faculty and also the turnaround time for queries being really low,” he said, adding how the program is as good as sitting in a regular classroom, backed by regular follow ups. In fact, personalised mentorship also keeps one on track and ensures one’s assignments are completed on time.

According to Soumojit Dey, Data Analyst at IBM India, the mini projects in each module give the learners a chance to develop key skills by working on real-world industry problems. “I applied a few of the techniques in my current organisation and the result was really different,” he said.

Alumni Spotlight

BACP alumni are working in top firms like Hasbro, Frost & Sullivan, TransUnion, Shell, LatentView Analytics, Deloitte and Manthan among others. Most students have received a salary hike of 37% on an average.

How GL’s BACP Is Different From Other Programs?

Personalised Mentorship: This is an area of leadership for Great Learning. Personalised mentorship is one of the key pillars of Great Learnings program and there is no other Analytics program in the market that offers mentorship to the extent as GL does. Industry mentors work with student groups and give the participants valuable insights.

• Here’s how mentorship works at Great Learning’s BACP: Once a candidate signs up for the programme, he/she is assigned a mentor, who is a practising Analytics professional or a Data Scientist. The mentor not only clears doubts related to assignment or coursework, but also provides actionable career advice.
• Mentorship by senior industry expert happens in micro-classes of 5; 3 weekends in a month, a group of 5 learners connect with a mentor to participate in an interactive and practical mentored learning session with one of GL’s 100+ distinguished industry mentors. In addition, over the 4th weekend, they join a larger community of learners to learn from an Analytics industry leader for perspectives across multiple domains.
• Micro-classes are formed based on demographic and work profile: The micro- classes are formed keeping in mind candidates’ work experience, industry background and domain. Micro-classes for mentorship provide learners an interactive setting for networking with their peers.
• 100+ mentors from top tech companies: This program features 100+ industry mentors from tech companies like Microsoft, Deloitte, HSBC, Axtria, Cognizant and Viacom18 among many others. Great Learning’s deep relationship with industry experts from leading tech companies has fostered an Analytics community of excellence.
• Experiential Learning: Another area where Great Learning’s BACP has gained considerable thought leadership is experiential learning wherein learners get a chance to do projects on topics such as Machine Learning, Predictive Modeling, Time Series Forecasting and Advanced Statistics. Also, every module features a hands-on project which gives learners an opportunity to apply classroom learning to business problems.

Mini-Projects: BACP has 9 mini-projects including 3 optional ones, which enable candidates to build a robust Analytics portfolio and showcase their skill set .These projects are from a variety of domains such as Finance, Marketing, Healthcare, Operations among others, giving candidates exposure to a number of industries.

Top Faculty: Consistently ranked as the #1 Analytics education provider, the faculty from Great Lakes Institute of Management has also consistently snagged the top spot in Prominent Analytics & Data Science Academicians List for India .   

Diverse Class Profile: With Analytics creating unprecedented opportunities, the program caters to a wide audience, bringing together candidates from diverse backgrounds such as Finance, E-commerce, Healthcare, FMCG, Telecom, Manufacturing, Heavy Engineering, Education, Automobiles, Shipping and Real Estate.

In a Nutshell

Format: Online

Duration: 6 months (optional 3 additional months)

Modules: 6 modules; 3 optional modules

Tools Covered: R, Tableau, Python and introduction to Hadoop (optional)

AIM View

Here’s what we believe — BACP is an excellent pathway to the Analytics field and the program’s comprehensive curriculum, combined with experiential learning and mentorship, will arm you with the expertise to grow in your role or transition to advanced roles. Usually, online learning reports a low completion rate. However, BACP’s Program Manager acts like a personal coach, who supports the learners throughout their learning journey by facilitating doubt clearing sessions and ensures students are on track with their assignments & case studies. Great Learning’s proprietary software Olympus ensures students have a seamless learning experience. Meanwhile, students have access to learning material such as recorded videos even after finishing the program.

BACP’s mentorship, industry sessions, workshops and projects provide an invaluable resource to expand learning and engage with industry experts and peers. The program is a great way to acquire much-needed Analytics skills without compromising on the day job, with sessions being held on weekends. However, learners are expected to devote significant time to maximize their learning experience.

Visit the Great Learning website for details on the next batch. Click here to apply.