How valued are accreditations / formal training in New Zealand?

Career advice
1

As someone who runs a Meetup group we get a lot of new / prospective BAs coming along who are looking to break into the New Zealand job market - and a very common question is “do I need a qualification”?

So, I am keen to hear about how valued everyone has found accreditations (eg, CBAP etc) and formal quals (eg Masters in Business Analysis)?

My personal experience to date has been that most hiring managers would hire based on the following (in order):

  1. Experience
  2. Experience
  3. Experience ( :wink:)
  4. Quals and training

So - certainly useful if you have no real-world employment experience BUT certainly isn’t going to jump you ahead of other candidates who have ‘been there, and done that’!

But are others seeing different things out there? Is there a difference across cities?? Keen for your thoughts!!

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Vaughan, I’m going to add to your list, near the top

Experience and/or Networks
Because if someone knows you, your work style, and how you engage (i.e. you are in their network in a positive way) they are MUCH more likely to take a punt on you in a role that may not be a direct fit.
So always do a good job, and build your network, it will increase the opportunities for you, possibly more than a qualification :slight_smile:

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3

That is so true @Jasmin!! And where do you rank accreditations?

4

I think they are really a way of ‘outside network’ endorsement.
Inside network - you get endorsement from people who know you and your work, and these are powerful.
Outside network, you get endorsement from a formal organisation that you appear to have x skills and knowledge. A bit less powerful, because it isn’t usually via observation of you doing the work.
If you are moving networks - definitely helpful, extending your network if you have a good reputation may do more though.

5

Totally agree with this – pretty much all my work nowadays comes from my network! But I don’t know how I’d fare if I moved cities!

6

Exactly, or even domains within the same city / region!

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7

It’s a chicken and egg problem for those who wants to enter the industry. When they don’t have direct BA experience or existing network in the local market, how can they get hired in the first place? In this particular case, training and qualification might be something they have to leverage. However, lots of people fall into the trap of spending too much time on getting qualifications but not enough efforts on building their project portfolio, identifying transferrable skills or developing a local network.

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8

Really great question. I thought I would share a bit of my journey, as it might be helpful for others thinking about formal qualifications versus experience.

I completed the Master of Professional Business Analysis at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington after changing careers. Earlier in life, I pursued science, and it was through that pathway, recognising patterns, analysing data, and solving problems, that I found my strengths.

After working in an administrative role at the Department of Conservation (DOC), I got involved in process improvement projects, often identifying unmet customer needs and helping to design better systems. That mahi sparked a real passion for business analysis. I took a risk, left my job, and retrained.

The Master’s programme gave me a strong foundation to transition into business analysis. My final paper was a real-world placement where I supported the rollout of body-worn cameras for Fisheries Officers at MPI. That experience led directly to a job offer before I even finished my degree. It was a huge boost for my confidence and confirmed that I could do the job.

Since then, I have worked across government departments, crown entities, and consultancy. Through that experience, I have found that good business analysis skills are universal. Once you understand how to work with people, explore systems, and solve problems, you can apply those skills in almost any industry. Personally, I would feel confident stepping into most sectors. The main exception for me would be finance and banking, which I find dreadfully boring and not very aligned with my values. Having meaningful mahi is a key motivator for me.

From what I have seen, I agree that in the Aotearoa job market:

  • Experience is king once you have it
  • Transferable skills like critical thinking, communication, cultural competency, and problem-solving are just as important as formal qualifications
  • Formal qualifications can be very valuable for those pivoting careers, like I was. They help build a bridge into the profession
  • Accreditations like CBAP are not essential here. I considered it, but decided the cost-benefit did not stack up for me personally

One extra thought. Neurodiversity (for me, dyslexia and ADHD) has actually been a real strength in business analysis, especially in areas like problem-solving, pattern recognition, and connecting dots across systems.

Today, my CV is led by the experience I have gained over several years as a BA, but having the Master’s was critical to getting my foot in the door.

Would be really interested to hear if others see differences between cities, industries, or sectors too.

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