Graduates get connected

Graduates are often stymied in their employment efforts by their lack of work experience but a scheme is gathering momentum through universities and polytechnics that may change that.

A global business school initiative is offering a connection between business education theory and practice outside the classroom in a way that is attracting big business. The initiative has been operating in New Zealand for four years and backers last year included Fonterra, NZIM, HSBC, Gallagher Group, Fletcher Building and Bell Gully.

Students in Free Enterprise (Sife) takes on the brief of creating economic opportunity for others while developing business skills in a real world context. They have to come up with real-life projects, which must be genuinely sustainable long term.

This includes writing business plans, setting realistic budgets, recruiting for helpers, approaching businesses for mentoring and sponsorship and running the project. At the end of the semester the students must present their projects to a national gathering of judges made up of corporate senior executives who quiz them on their work. The winners then represent New Zealand at an international competition.

Wal-Mart is just one of many American companies lining up to recruit Sife graduates, says Jens Mueller, associate professor for entrepreneurship and strategy at Waikato University, who has been involved in Sife overseas for many years.

KPMG is involved globally and the New Zealand arm hosts the national competition each year. KPMG partner Paul Kiesanowski says the Sife students' energy, enthusiasm, motivation and ability to perform outside their comfort zone is impressive.

"They demonstrate skills of project planning, goal setting and achievement, team work and leadership, all attributes we are keen to have in employees. Such students are our target market in terms of recruiting, so it [Sife competition] gives us direct exposure to people who would be interested in us."

Kinross Recruitment managing director Stuart Chrisp, a national Sife judge, says he recommends that clients recruiting graduates take a second look at students with Sife in their CV.

"It indicates a highly motivated person with strong practical business oriented skills so it is really significant. These students really punch above their weight."

It was certainly a life-changing experience for Kate Massey, who graduated from AUT last year with a marketing and management degree. She now works as a marketing executive for Maersk Line Shipping Company. She was also asked to apply for the Fonterra graduate programme and invited to other interviews through Sife networks. AUT won the national competition last year with Massey as president and executive member working with 60 students working on eight different projects.

"At times I felt very out of depth but I've realized that is when you learn the most."

What she appreciated most about Sife was that she was doing something positive for the community while gaining practical experience and new skills.

"For example, I use to hate standing up and talking to people but I had to do Sife presentations and meet with CEOs and other professionals and - wow - now I'm so much more confident about presenting because I had to do it so often."

The AUT team competed last year against teams from the universities of Waikato, Victoria, Palmerston North Massey, Unitec and Canterbury.

Both AUT and Waikato students now get academic credits for their SIFE involvement, which is often many hours over and above their academic study. At AUT it is through a level seven business paper based on Sife run by senior marketing lecturer Helen Capner, one of two AUT Sife academic mentors.

"Instead of writing a business plan about an unknown entity, the students write, develop and implement a plan in the community. It challenges students to question the theory, work through the implications and respond to the implications by actually doing it," says Capner. Students in Sife have to apply to get into the paper. This semester she had 90 apply and accepted 65. Having to be accountable to external clients provides a huge learning curve, says Capner.

"It develops their management skills like you wouldn't believe. They have to form budgets and deal with penalties when they don't meet those budgets and meet real life deadlines. They also network directly with the business community who they turn to for help and guidance."

Another advantage, says Mueller, is that it offers employers the opportunity to recruit students in one place from a range of providers.

"Employers often only have time to visit two or three business schools to recruit for graduates - through Sife those students get equal exposure to CEOs."