An Exploratory Study of the Key Skills for Entry-Level ERP Employees

Abstract

This research identifies the key skills (e.g., business, team, communication) that industries expect for entry level positions involving enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Based on a review of the literature, a number of possible core skills that ERP entry level employees should possess are identified. To identify the relative importance of these specific skills, a web-based survey involving IT professionals from 105 organizations is conducted. Analyzing the findings using exploratory factor analysis and scale reliability analysis indicates four specific and significant factors representing the major key skills that industry expects from entry level ERP positions labeled for this study such as systems analysis and integration, team skills, project management, and business and application understanding. Various common technical skills (e.g., programming, networks) were found to be significantly less important than the business and team skills. This study should assist companies in developing criteria for evaluating potential candidates for entry level positions in ERP systems, as well as universities for evaluating the relevancy of their IT and Business programs.