Development of Student’s Business Development Skills in the BRIDGE Project ANTHONY OKUOGUME In the BRIDGE project’s approach, students work in international multiuniversity groups to solve various types of companies (commissioners) business problems with professors acting as coaches. The idea is to develop students’ business knowledge and most crucially, their business development competences to improve their employability by equipping students with the right competences that meet working life requirements. This article is about exploring the development of student’s business knowledge and business development skills during their participation in the BRIDGE project. Therefore, the metrics used here is a simple business competence and business development metrics designed solely for this current analysis which was sent as a questionnaire to students who participated in the BRIDGE project. The core target group is one that participated in the project’s Alta session in spring 2021. INTRODUCTION The combination of the Internet, the new generation of learners, the demands of the global knowledge economy, and the shock of the current economic crisis is creating a perfect storm for universities, and the storm warnings are everywhere as indicated by Prof. Matthew Patrick James Lynch during the kickoff of the BRIDGE autumn 2021 session that there are lots of businesses and world’s problems. Students who come into work life are supposed to solve these business and societal problems using innovation and, entrepreneurial skills and actions. This view was reinforced by Bryan and Joyce (2005) that young new talents to the workplace are 46
expected to be innovators, with the primary task of innovating company’s “business ideas that makes it possible for companies to compete in the uncertain and dynamic business environments of today”. They are also to be able to manage a company’s assets for their effective exploitation for value creation in the company’s respective industries (Bryan & Joyce 2005). These new talents are seen as professionals who are endowed with the responsibilities of driving growths in service businesses and create value through various forms of innovation methods. Therefore, entrepreneurial and innovation skills plus other business and business development knowledge are crucial skills to be developed during the student’s education.
