MSc Students Win Enterprise and Employability Challenge During Development Week

Huddersfield Business School would like to congratulate three Postgraduate MSc students for winning the Innovation Creative Exchange Plus (ICE+) Challenge, held during their MSc Development Week in January 2022.

The MSc Development Week has multiple benefits for students including enhancing employability skills, expanding student’s CV and gaining valuable experiences that can be used as evidence and case studies in interview after graduation. Students took part in various sessions and activities throughout the MSc Development Week, all of which enhanced their personal and professional development. Sessions and activities included; employability, enterprise, networking and study-skills, including talks from a book author and a local business owner-manager.

As part of the MSc Development Week students were invited to take part in an ICE+ Challenge hosted by the Enterprise Team and UK Greetings. The ICE+ challenge is an enterprise and employability initiative which enables student teams to be supported in the development of innovative solutions and concepts, which they then pitch to an external organisation. Students were tasked to help the local business imagine the future and develop a business model to send greetings in a new way. By taking part in the challenge, the winning students will now undertake a paid placement with UK Greetings to further develop their ideas.

Leticia Irubor, MSc Business Intelligence and Analytics

“This challenge taught me more about the essence of communication, tolerance of other people’s ideas and opinions, working in a diverse team, creativity and the power of imagination, working effectively within a limited time frame and PowerPoint presentation skills. My overall experience was amazing and I am glad to have been given the opportunity to participate in such challenge.”

 

 

Ifechukwude Sharon Mmakwe, MSc Business Intelligence and Analytics

“This ICE+ Challenge consisted of developing a business model to send greetings in a new way, in correlation with the digital age. UK Greetings wanted us to explore how we would express our social connectedness in the future through innovation and creativity. There were lots activities lined up for us, from critical thinking about cards, the types of cards which exist and can be invented in this digital age, what giving and receiving cards means and the emotions that we feel afterwards. For one particular task we had to create a customer persona and the kind of life the persona lived, it was very educating. It brought out the innovative side in everyone.”

Kavindya De Silva, MSc Project Management and Operations Management

“Participating in the ICE+ Challenge was a completely novel experience for me. Winning this challenge gave me great confidence and as I am yet to start the professional practice in my course, I believe it will be a great example when applying for jobs. If I get another chance to participate in the ICE+ Challenge I would definitely consider being a part of it.”