How businesses can use students as a valuable resourceÂ

Work placements, research and real-world settings are helping us to offer outstanding teaching at the university, while also benefiting the local business community.Â
By The Newsroom
Published 19th Sep 2018, 16:44 BST
Updated 19th Sep 2018, 17:48 BST
Winners of the Business Consultancy Project Bill Jones, tutor, Stef Nienaltowski, director of Shaping Portsmouth, with students Chloe Sitruck, Somtochukwu Orji, Khalid Maylor-Morris, and Cattaliya CharoensereechaiWinners of the Business Consultancy Project Bill Jones, tutor, Stef Nienaltowski, director of Shaping Portsmouth, with students Chloe Sitruck, Somtochukwu Orji, Khalid Maylor-Morris, and Cattaliya Charoensereechai
Winners of the Business Consultancy Project Bill Jones, tutor, Stef Nienaltowski, director of Shaping Portsmouth, with students Chloe Sitruck, Somtochukwu Orji, Khalid Maylor-Morris, and Cattaliya Charoensereechai

Students get involved in real projects, such as the Business Consultancy Project, run by the University's Portsmouth Business School.

This innovative approach supports student learning and brings '˜outside of the box' thinking to local businesses. 

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One project, which won great acclaim and £500 funding earlier this year, is helping to raise the career aspirations of young people in Portsmouth. 

Jack Crook, Business Development Assistant at the University of Portsmouth's Faculty of Business and LawJack Crook, Business Development Assistant at the University of Portsmouth's Faculty of Business and Law
Jack Crook, Business Development Assistant at the University of Portsmouth's Faculty of Business and Law

The students were asked by Shaping Portsmouth to develop an online platform to allow young people to access information about careers.

It was developed as Shaping Portsmouth wanted to better understand young people aged nine to 16.

During the project, the portal was brought into a prototype phase, called iwantotbe.com.

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The students managed the project, working closely with Shaping Portsmouth to ensure that it was delivered in a timely and effective manner.

They advanced the development of the iwantobe.com portal by a year and gave Shaping Portsmouth invaluable insight into where their target market actually was as their research found that pupils aged between nine to 13 were too young to realise what they wanted from a job.

This particular project has developed an incredibly useful tool and will go on to shape lives and careers for years.

Projects like this provide businesses with a valuable resource, while greatly improving students' workplace readiness, leading to positive graduate outcomes.

To apply for the 2019/2020 academic year, email studentprojects@port.ac.uk

Related topics:StudentsPortsmouth