
Accept the challenge – seize an opportunity
Connecting theory with practice has been one of key elements at GEA College. Beside hosting lecturers with vast experience from the business world, we organise so-called students’ challenges in cooperation with our former graduates, successful entrepreneurs and managers where students face real business challenges to which they need to find a solution and turn them into an opportunity.
We believe that cooperation between educational institutions and real-economy is essential for both students to gain hands-on knowledge and for companies, which can gain fresh, out-of-the-box and innovative business ideas. It is indeed a win-win situation.
GEA College students’ challenge includes all students and it is part of the curriculum. We have worked with the following companies: Agilcon, Summit avto, Duol, Plastika Skaza, Sensilab, LOTRIČ metrology.
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Develop an entrepreneurial mindset
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GEA College is encouraging and developing an entrepreneurial mindset.
By Financial Times definition, an entrepreneurial mindset is a state of mind that drives human behaviour to entrepreneurial activity and results. Individuals with a developed entrepreneurial mindset are often linked with seizing opportunities, creating innovations and new added value. At the same time, those individuals are able to take risks and act optimally during insecure times.
An entrepreneurial mindset isn’t a particular virtue, but rather a set of knowledge that we gain, practice and improve. It is a concept that is supposed to be the main ingredient in a complex recipe for career success.
Creativity, boldness, initiativeness, goal-orientation, adaptiveness and the capability of handling different situations have long been virtues and competencies that overshadow diligence. By no means we are trying to make the latter less important, but it is certainly not enough in order to push boundaries, realize ideas and seize opportunities that others don’t. Why are some individuals so propulsive, resourceful and always in the right place on the right time? We believe it is due to their entrepreneurial mindset.
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Why companies should take part?
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We want to establish a long-term and reciprocal relationship that will benefit both companies and students. You realising the opportunity and benefits of the project is very important to us:
- get fresh ideas from students that you can implement into your business,
- cooperate with mentors and experts,
- more exposure among students, future entrepreneurs and job seekers,
- interesting content for marketing and PR news.
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Content and stages of the project
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How a project is carried out comes down to a mutual agreement between a company and GEA College. We always take your expectations into consideration. With a students’ challenge of your choice, you can participate in the following subjects:
- Marketing and market analysis
- Creativity and Innovation in Entrepreneurship
- Sales and Sales Psychology
- Planning the Company’s Growth
- Business Plan• Business Finance
- Accounting
- Entrepreneurship
- Business Economics
- Fundamentals of Management and Leadership
Stages:
- a definition of content and goals of a project
- a definition of a time-table (min. 1 month, max. 3 months),
- a presentation of a challenge to students and public; a visit to a company
- an implementation of a challenge under the leadership of a mentor from GEA College
- a presentation of results to a company and closure of a project
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Implementation of a project and participation
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At GEA College we will take care of:
- planning of a concept and organisation of a project
- coordination and implementation of a project
- selection of faculty and mentors
- obtaining a desired number of highly-motivated project groups of students
- PR, promotion and marketing materials
A company is required to help us with:
- defining their goals and wishes so we can plan a concept
- cooperating at the challenge’s public reveal
- cooperating with a mentor from GEA College
- cooperating at the presentation of results
- optional: internship for the most successful, a mentorship, a job offer etc.
After a concept is planned and a consultation with a company, we also look at the financial aspect of the project which always depends on volume of activities included.
How much time will the project take?
- 1 hour for a meeting about content
- 1-2 hours for a project presentation to students
- 3-5 hours for intermediate confirmation of concepts
- 3 hours for final presentation of projects, an assessment of results and a final event
Be bold and take on the challenge!
Contact
Monika Strahovnik
T: +386 1 5302 470
E: Monika.Strahovnik@gea-college.si
Video library
One-day business challenge at DUOL
GEA College – Student Challenge – Summit Avto