Say Hello to the EPBA Batch of 2017!

The third batch of the Executive Program in Business Analytics (EPBA) by UNext Jigsaw and MISB Bocconi has kick-started and this year sees an eclectic bunch of students from diverse backgrounds foraying into the world of analytics. EPBA has picked up steam over the past few years and is currently ranked among the Top 5 Executive Programs for Analytics in India.

Analytics as a sector has always seen professionals from the IT sector and with technology skills make the transition. But of late, even non-IT sectors have stood up and taken a note of the applications and implications of analytics in business processes.

In fact, this year’s intake has 35% of the students from non-IT backgrounds, from Solution Analysts, Operations Specialists to Research Analysts and Restaurant Managers. The sectors too are quote varied for this year’s intake; we have students from sectors such as Pharmaceuticals, Pricing & Billing (Finance), HR Services, Supply Chain, Insurance, Oil & Drilling, Education, Telecom, IT Infrastructure, and E-commerce to name a few.

Image: IT vs non-IT participants in EPBA 2016-17

Executive programs usually attract people with a wide-ranging work experience. This year two sets of people form the biggest groups of the batch. Professionals with upto 5 years of work experience account for 35% of the intake, and people having 11-15 years of experience under their belt make up another 35%. The class is rounded up by people with 6-10 years of work experience accounting for 21% and the ones with over 15 years of experience making up for 9%. The average experience of the batch stands at 9 years, which is the same is that of the previous batch, but slightly lower than that of the very first batch which had an average experience of 11 years. The previous batch saw people with the experience range of 7-10 years of experience being the biggest group, making up 39% of the class, with the 3 to 7 years range accounting for 35% of the class. This indicates to the fact that even people with lesser experience are looking at analytics for a career change.

Image: Experience breakdown of EPBA 2016-17

People who have just begun their careers and people who have a sizeable work experience both are flocking towards analytics. This trend indicates that analytics is appealing to professionals across sectors and work experience ranges.

With the campus for MISB Bocconi located in Mumbai, which is also where the scheduled contact classes take place, the student inflow from Maharashtra is at 47%, making up nearly half of the class. Bengaluru and Hyderabad contribute 12% each with Delhi bringing in 14% of the group. However, the student base is pan India, with students from Gujarat, Goa, and Tamil Nadu making up for rest of the batch.

Image: Location breakdown of EPBA 2016-17

This is consistent with last year’s batch, which also saw people from Maharashtra making up most the class. Bangalore and Hyderabad both see a slight dip of 3% and participants from Delhi rose by 7% as seen for last year.

Image: Location breakdown of EPBA 2015-16

Overall, the Batch of 2017 is extremely diverse and uniquely interesting.

We will be bringing in some interesting student profiles and interviews with this year’s candidates in the coming weeks. Make sure you check back for updates!

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