Business Leaders Connect with Students
A unique opportunity for students to connect with the business community in Khabarovsk was arranged by partners on the project “Cooperation in the Development of Medium and Small Business in Khabarovsk .” On the final day of a 4-day training seminar “The Basics of Managing a Business in a Market Economy”, students from 5 universities in Khabarovsk practiced their business skills and interacted with business leaders from the city. The business leaders participating represented companies such as Makon, Real, Megatower-Trade, Diana-Photo, Altera and Vudex.
The students and business leaders participated in the modeling program MEM – a game which models economic and management concepts. The idea of the present game was to connect potential employees with potential employers, and to give the students the opportunity to demonstrate their business acumen and their ability to develop strategies and tactics. The interest of the business leaders in the students and the modeling game process was so great, that the majority of them will continue to participate with the project.
The session culminated in a roundtable focused on youth in the job market. The goal of the roundtable was to discuss ways of cooperation between government, business and educational institutions to prepare the next generation of entrepreneurs for small business in Khabarovsk . Proposals for cooperation ranged from providing access to a consulting center at the Career Center , where students can come for help, to including a session on youth entrepreneurship in the next session of the city's training for entrepreneurs, among others.
During the training session, the students completed several tests and questionnaires to measure their business skills. Overall, the evaluations showed that the students possess high theoretical knowledge, but need more work on increasing ability to apply theoretical knowledge to practical situations and on developing “market economy” thinking.
Opportunities such as these to connect future business leaders with those experienced in the field are critical to the business development of young RFE youth. As a result of this project, students see the interest of the business community in young and qualified people, and the business leaders were able to share their own experience.
Competition on MEM between students and leading entrepreneurs of Khabarovsk
Entrepreneurs try to make a decision during the MEM competition
