Skill Requirements of ERP Graduates

This research develops a list of the key skills that organizations expect from recent graduates of university programs in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). Quantitative and qualitative analysis of 105 surveys from IT professionals involved in the implementation or support of ERP systems (e.g., IT project managers, systems analysts, IT consultants) indicate a wide variety of skills needed by ERP graduates. These skills are classified as ERP Technical Knowledge, Technology Management Knowledge, Business Functional Knowledge, Interpersonal Skills, and Team Knowledge and Skills. The specific skills that comprise each group are identified and discussed. The main benefit of this study is that it presents a list of key skills that business schools must consider teaching when implementing their own ERP program. For business schools with existing ERP programs, this research provides a list of skills that can be used to help determine how well their program is meeting the needs of industry.