Today’s technological and business market is redefining the concept of managerial competence. Classical management knowledge is no longer sufficient if it is not accompanied by the ability to interpret data in an advanced manner. The nearly 30-year partnership between the Faculty of Management at the Warsaw University of Technology and SAS responds to this need. The result of this collaboration is another group of 104 students who have just received SAS Academic Specialisation certificates in visual data analysis.
This initiative is perfectly in line with the global trend of democratising analytical tools in corporate structures. The Faculty of Management at the capital’s university trains nearly 200 professionals annually, who instead of theoretical considerations, enter the market with a practical knowledge of advanced business intelligence ecosystems. Using the SAS Viya for Learners platform and tools such as SAS Visual Analytics, students complete the full analytical process – from structuring raw databases, to advanced data mining, to designing management cockpits that automate strategic decision-making.
However, the success of this programme reveals a much deeper shift in employer expectations. In a saturated technology market, purely engineering data science skills alone are losing their previous uniqueness. The key differentiator of the modern specialist is becoming so-called domain (industry) expertise combined with the ability to work effectively in teams. Business is no longer just looking for people who can process databases in isolation, but managers who can translate complex mathematical analyses into concrete business recommendations and operational actions.
The programme’s growth prospects confirm the increasing pressure on the labour market. From the 2026/2027 academic year, the SAS-certified pathway will also be extended to include part-time study, allowing those already in the workforce to upgrade their qualifications. For the business sector, this sends a clear signal: academic education is adapting more and more quickly to market realities, providing staff ready for immediate deployment. In an era of struggle for cost efficiency and digitisation of processes, the symbiosis of academic rigour with technology provided by the market leader is becoming the most important competitive advantage for young professionals.
