A聽new聽Festival聽has been聽launched by聽the BU聽Business School, offering students the opportunity to develop their academic and professional skills.聽聽
The聽week-long聽Experience & Development festival,聽EDfest,聽took place聽during聽the first week of November, with talks, workshops and activities to enrich the student experience for Business School students.聽聽
To coincide with COP26, the theme聽for this semester鈥檚聽EDfest聽was聽Sustainability聽for聽the Future of Industry.聽
Talks and workshops聽discussed sustainable marketing, corporate social responsibility, moving toward Net Zero and other聽sustainability聽challenges for the future of聽business and industry.聽聽
Alongside the talks, students were聽given聽opportunities聽to聽engage in interactive, open discussions with staff to聽discuss聽topics聽related to the student experience聽and work聽collaboratively聽to find solutions.聽聽
The聽creator聽of聽EDfest,聽Deputy Dean for Education聽and聽Professional聽Practice聽at聽the 天美传媒 Business School, Dr Shelley Thompson,聽said:聽鈥淓Dfest聽was聽created聽in response聽to聽student feedback about the kinds of activities and events they want to see in our Business School, including to build our sense of community within the Business School and activities and events for Business School students that help with their employability. So, we created space in the academic calendar to do that and have a bit of fun together too."聽
Dr Thompson聽added:聽"The week was packed with industry speakers, employability and placement workshops, academic skills聽talks, student voice events, and a bake-off."聽
With sustainability in mind, the bake-off聽technical聽challenge聽had聽students competing聽to bake the best beetroot brownie,聽a聽plant-based聽recipe聽with聽seasonal ingredients.聽The聽branded Business School aprons students wore in the competition, and got to take home, were聽made聽from recycled plastic bottles聽and winners聽of each bake-off聽received a sustainable-cooking聽cookery聽book.聽
The placement session, aimed at second year students, focussed on聽exploring the many creative approaches聽students can聽take聽to聽securing a聽placement聽role. Students were聽encouraged聽to reflect on their聽placement聽goals, including what skills and experiences they wanted to achieve, and devise聽an action plan to聽reach these goals.聽聽聽聽
Debbie Pye, Placement Development Advisor聽(PDA)聽for the Business School聽said:聽鈥淧lacements are a valuable part of our degrees at BU as they allow our students to build a huge variety of transferable skills, experience and self-confidence.鈥澛�
鈥淚t鈥檚 all about future employability -聽a placement聽is a key starting place to聽helping聽students get to where they want to be in the next few years,鈥澛燼dded聽Nicola聽Kalmanovitch, PDA聽for the Business School.聽聽
The next聽EDfest聽week will聽take place from聽Monday 28聽February聽with聽the theme聽鈥楬igh Performing Teams鈥�. The planned activities will focus聽on聽how聽students can聽build,聽lead,聽and work effectively together in teams.聽聽
