| This research study provides insight about how employers and universities can and should partner, to achieving readiness of recent graduates to fill business analytics (BA) jobs. A phenomenological approach was used to interview 4 BA groups: business leaders, faculty, recent graduates, and supervisors of recent graduates. Twenty-five individuals yielded data via semi-structured interviews about their lived experiences. Findings show that while BA graduates are expected to be leaders in future analytics, most are initially lacking in real-world preparation, use obsolete and irrelevant software training, and lack beneficial interdisciplinary training. The rapidly changing business world is leaving an unfilled need for T-Shaped graduates. T-shaped graduates possess broad expertise coupled with in-depth discipline knowledge. Responsibility for training graduates is mistakenly seen as belonging to universities. But businesses are in an essential training role through internships, mentoring, and on-the-job training. Interviewee data suggests ways to improve: partnerships between universities, placement offices and businesses; better internship and mentoring programs; including students in curriculum planning; introducing and enhancing T-shaped thinking. These suggested improvements can help corporations and universities to become better partners in educating BA students. |
