Survey: MBA Graduates Need More Practical Hands-On Training to Succeed on Wall Street

NEW YORK, Nov. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- MBA graduates need more hands-on training to prepare themselves for Wall Street careers according to a new survey by Training The Street (TTS), a leading corporate training provider for a majority of Wall Street firms and top tier business schools. TTS surveyed a large training class of incoming associates at a global investment bank, 90% already with MBAs, and measured students' level of preparedness to enter the work force before and after the firm's training course.

The survey found that prior to entering TTS' course, 86% of the participants did not feel "very prepared" when completing a mergers & acquisitions (M&A) analysis. The survey also revealed that 80% of the participants did not feel "very prepared" when performing a leveraged buyout (LBO) analysis. 

"Our survey shows that while MBA programs are great at creating a solid foundation for potential Wall Street hires, MBAs lack the hands-on practical skills that Wall Street candidates need to better perform on the job," said Scott Rostan, Founder and Principal of Training The Street.

After TTS training, 37% of the participants reported feeling "much more prepared" or "somewhat more prepared" in M&A analysis while nearly 50% responded they felt "much more prepared" or "somewhat more prepared" with LBO analysis.

Other survey findings include:

• 85% found TTS training "very helpful" in preparing them for Wall Street careers. 
• Prior to TTS training, 62% felt at least "somewhat prepared" when checking a junior deal team member's work. That percentage rose to 95% after the TTS course.

"Firms expect their new hires to hit the ground running, and our training programs give them the practical skills necessary to excel on the job from the start," Mr. Rostan said. "In the finance world, junior professionals must be fully prepared when entering the workforce in order to avoid falling victim to a company's increased turnover."

About Training The Street

Training The Street (TTS) is the world's leading provider of instructor-led courses in accounting, financial modeling and corporate valuation training to Wall Street investment banks, business schools, and top colleges.  With offices in the financial hubs across the U.S., as well as an office in London and India, TTS boasts a deep field of expert instructors and extensive practical experience.  Currently, TTS is offering live training programs to interns, analysts and associates at more that 50 banks and corporate businesses, including Wall Street's ten largest banks, as well as 23 of the 25 highest ranked MBA programs in the nation.

SOURCE Training The Street