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Organisations including UNICEF UK and IBM invited groups of student consultants into their offices to work on real-life projects as part of the Industry Projects module

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Students at one City St George’s school have the unique opportunity to collaborate with huge organisations on a project designed by industry leaders.

The School of Policy and Global Affairs, located in one of the world’s greatest financial and political centres, engages with key debates that shape policy in a rapidly changing world.

Final-year students studying politics, economics, history and sociology at the School who enrol in the Industry Projects module work in groups of five to solve real business challenges for organisations including IBM and UNICEF UK.

Students work in areas including marketing, branding, reputation, financial reports, policies, market analysis and many other business issues.

Staff and students celebrated the success of the Industry Projects module during the recent Festival of the Professions

Students collaborate with IBM

Final year Economics BSc student Avish Chaudry said taking part in the module showed him new career possibilities. His project involved evaluating IBM’s SkillsBuild online courses. Avish’s group were awarded an Innovation Award by IBM. He said:

I didn’t really consider consultancy or policy as sectors I would be interested in but after working on this project I realised that type of work is a viable option that I didn’t consider previously. I found this project really helpful as it opened up some options for me.

Master Inventor for City St George’s industry partner IBM, John McNamara, said:

The dedication and professionalism of City St George’s students truly shone through during their time working on this project with us. The creativity and critical thinking students displayed was commendable and served as a testament to their potential to become future leaders and innovators.

“It is evident how much effort and passion went into their work and we were impressed by students’ ability to articulate complex concepts clearly."

Dr Federica Mure, Lecturer in Employability Education and Skills Development in the School of Policy and Global Affairs leads the module with a colleague and said:

It’s always a privilege to be able to see students coming together, creatively overcoming challenges and building the confidence needed to step out of their comfort zone and make their case in front of their clients.

“The University is hugely thankful to our amazing industry partners for generously giving their time to guide students for three months.”

Festival of the Professions

Students at the launch of the Festival of Professions

Last month, City St George’s celebrated a university-wide Festival of the Professions. Students from the Industry Projects module, including Avish, were celebrated as part of the festival with a special peer-to-peer learning Q&A session.

Festivities across the month also included many employer events for students including online information sessions on different industries, workshops, networking events and mock interview sessions.

The festival launched with an exciting event at Saddlers' Hall, bringing together student leaders of employability related societies, livery companies, employer partners of the university and staff.

There was panel discussion on the topic of the power of professional, followed by the chance for students to network.

Gemma Kenyon, Director of Careers and Employability, said:

The launch event was a fantastic testament to our Graduate Attribute 'Connected Professional', bringing together leaders of employability related student societies, the livery companies, other employer partners of the University and university staff.

“It was great to see everyone putting the networking tips shared during the panel discussion into action as we networked with each other and celebrated the start of the Festival of the Professions."

Another exciting opportunity presented by the festival was the opportunity for School of Policy and Global Affairs students to quiz the British politician and former member of the European parliament Irina von Wiese.

Second year Politics BSc student Seamus Duncan-Maguire said the opportunity was insightful and a chance to network.

“It was a wonderful opportunity to hear from someone who has many years of experience within diplomacy and wider politics. This provides valuable long-term insight for students and their future prospects," he said.

Read more about the City St George's BSc (Hons) Politics Degree.

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