Business Career Guide and eLearning training guide

Careers in Business and Management

Most people who work in business and management have a qualification of some form, or at least relevant work experience with suitable knowledge and ability in the area. These qualifications include third-level degrees in addition to certificates and diplomas. This Business Career Guide and eLearning training guide aims to provide you with a good background. Typical roles include:

• Team Leaders: A team leader helps to motivate and channel the ability of a team into a predetermined goal. Team leaders can be assigned to a full project or can be chosen by a project manager to take charge of subcategories of the overall task.
• Business Managers: A business manager is responsible for the running of a company, supervising staff and the company’s activities. Depending on the size of the business, their roles can change between being a supervisor over a particular sector of the company, or the entire business when it is small in size.
• Accountants and Auditors: Accountants and auditors prepare and examine financial records. They ensure the finances are correct and taxes are paid correctly and on time. They help to ensure businesses run efficiently and manage their finances correctly.
• Budget Analysts: A budget analyst helps companies organise their finances, preparing budget reports and monitoring the expenses of institutions.
• Management Analysts: Management analysts, often called management consultants, propose ways to improve an organisation’s efficiency. They advise managers on how to make organisations more profitable through reduced costs and increased revenues.

Education courses in Business and Management

There are a number of business and finance courses available in Ireland. CMIT offer a range of ILM accredited courses in Management, which are delivered through a tutor-supported eLearning system. This course is a recognised Level 6 award on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications. These courses are:

• ILM Certificate in Change Management
• ILM Certificate in Coaching
• ILM Certificate in Finance
• ILM Certificate in Human Resources and Coaching
• ILM Certificate in Leadership and Management
• ILM Certificate in Marketing
• ILM Certificate in Project Management
• ILM Diploma in Leadership and Management
• ILM Diploma in Marketing and Strategy
• ILM Diploma in Project Management and Finance

What will I learn in my course?

Students will learn key management topics such as:

1. The Management Process
2. Management and Leadership Styles
3. Principles of Accounting
4. Accounting concepts and conventions
5. Methods of comparison
6. Accounting Ratios
7. Managing Budgets
8. Break-even analysis
9. Types of budget
10. Creating Cash Budgets

Job Options/Roles

The role of someone who works in business varies depending on the scale of their position and that of the company itself. As already stated, there are many roles available to someone in the business and finance industry as they may be faced with dealing with the finances of a business by themselves or in a team environment. A recent study by Solas noted that 15% of all jobs advertised with the Department of Social Protection Jobs Ireland related to associate professional/technical occupations. This 15% included positions such as sales executives, marketing managers, financial analysts, HR specialists etc. IrishJobs.ie’s records indicate that 31% of their advertisements were also taken up by associate professional roles. (Via Forfas Vacancy Overview)

What can I expect to do work in business and management?

• Work with program and project managers to develop the organisation’s budget.
• Review managers’ budget proposals for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with laws and other regulations.
• Combine all the program and department budgets together into a consolidated organisational budget and review all funding requests for merit.
• People management is an important aspect of those working in business & finance, particularly if they hold a big position in the business. The ability to communicate and coordinate a team, particularly one in a finance department, is an invaluable tool to ensure efficiency and punctuality of work.
• Manage the operations of the business, which would include designing, developing, implementing and analysing certain projects and process they have established.
• Maintaining a high standard of customer service within the business.

For a full list of CMIT’s Business & Management courses, please click here.