Feature
www.enactusuk.org
Applied Learning
More than 2,000 students, educators and business leaders assembled in Mexico in September 2013 for the Enactus World Cup 2013. The competition judges how successfully teams of university students use business solutions to improve the lives of others, and Southampton University was named runner up out of 35 countries. Here Jim Ineson, Executive Director of Enactus UK, explains why Enactus plays a valuable role in enhancing graduate employability.
E
nactus is a student-led programme that gives university students a real- world experience of business
through running what is effectively their own social enterprise on campus. Enactus students come from all years of study and from diverse fields of study, with about half of the students reading buisness- related degrees. They learn how to take initiative, plan and execute projects, communicate and work as part of a team. The experience helps them more readily transition from university to work, align with their company’s culture and accept responsibility.
Southampton’s 150-strong team delivered twelve projects (seven of them based in their local and regional community) this academic year. Among the award- winning outreach projects they carried out was SanEco, a sanitation project based in Kisii, Kenya (see box out). Charlotte Pearce, outgoing President of Enactus Southampton commented, “Enactus gives us the opportunity to better ourselves and learn from our experiences. The collaboration of all our students coming together in a common cause creates a community I’ve never experienced anywhere else.”
As an international organisation, Enactus offers students the experience of working across different cultures and with different types of people. This can be through actually delivering international projects in far-flung corners of the world; collaborating on campus with international students on the same team; or networking with students and teams from other countries at international events. Such contact helps the student develop a global mindset which is increasingly important in today’s business world, along with international experiences to help them become a ‘global graduate’.
In the UK, Enactus currently partners with 55 universities to offer their students such meaningful learning experiences that will enhance their future employability. Applications from new universities are considered throughout the academic year, and if sufficient support from university staff and/or administration can be demonstrated, the team will be incorporated into training events to build experience and knowledge, though not formally accepted into the programme until the new academic year begins.
But employers know that ‘employability’ is not only about the experience − its about applying the learning from that experience to other situations. Enactus UK is supported in this by many AGR member companies who provide experienced business professionals as volunteers to play an essential role in delivering skills sessions, mentoring teams, assessing projects and providing
feedback. It’s a partnership that provides a valuable addition to a company’s CSR portfolio, as well as the opportunity for employee involvement, executive networking and brand awareness. This opportunity to see Enactus students in action and assist in their development can also provide a link to the company’s own graduate recruitment objectives. n
Transforming Waste
Among the award-winning outreach projects carried out by Enactus Southampton was SanEco, a sanitation project run in Kisii, Kenya. The students designed and built an innovative toilet made from 60% recycled materials that also collects human waste. In just one year the team has worked with 15 widows to triple their disposable income by helping them create businesses through building their own SanEco Toilets, removing waste from the streets, making their community a healthier place to live in. The entrepreneurs were then taught how to convert the human waste into cheap, affordable and effective fertilizers for farmers in the area, increasing their yields and saving them £155 a year.
The project has also worked with a further 15 widows to double their disposable income by creating sanitary towel businesses, educating the people of Kisii and offering a hygienic and affordable solution for the first time to 884 women and girls in the village so far.
www.agr.org.uk | Graduate Recruiter 31
Enactus UK welcomes additional partner companies to join the national programme. Please visit:
www.enactusuk.org
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36