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Loyalist Business Students Put their Skills to the Test

May 15, 2008

“We were delighted with the students’ assessment and response to the marketing challenge we presented,” said Rick Culbert, President Food Safety Global for Bioniche Life Sciences Inc. “It was impressive to observe how they broke the problem into applicable categories and addressed each one. Their enthusiasm showed, as did their professional approach.”

The skills acquired in the Loyalist Business program prepare graduates to work in a broad spectrum of environments. Recently Loyalist Professor Mike Allison arranged for his first-year Business Administration Introduction to Marketing class to work with Bioniche on a marketing consulting project for their new E-Coli vaccine.

“It was a very unique situation as the challenge we presented to them was simultaneously being worked on at Bioniche as well — but with no communication between the two groups,” added Mr. Culbert.  “They were asked to pick a brand name, identify the target market segment, come up with key marketing messages and a strategy to deliver the messages.  When we came back to the College for their report, we were able to compare their recommendations to the ‘real world’ plans our staff had developed.  The prevailing comment from our staff as they listened to the students was WOW! The similarities were remarkable.”

Carrie Bulgajewski was one of the students who worked on this project. “It was really exciting to work so closely with Bioniche. Using the skills we are learning in the Business program reaffirms how valuable our diplomas will be when we graduate. The best part of the project was definitely when we presented our results to the company. We were able to provide them with fresh ideas and backed them up with well-researched information. The feedback we received was very encouraging.”

Real-life projects are an important component of Loyalist’s programs. Students Travis Lamothe and Tommy Courneyea worked with the Emergency Planning Department at Quinte Health Care (QHC) to develop databases, policies and guidelines as part of the Business program’s Alliance Excellence Achievement Program (AEAP).

“Our project consisted of work that the hospital actually needed to have done,” said Tommy. “I believe that we were able to offer fresh insight and technical proficiency — and were able to accomplish more than we initially set out to do.”

Travis added that he felt projects such as this are very important in preparing students for future employment. “It was definitely a unique experience and I enjoyed working on a project that would actually be used by a business. It was also a good way to showcase our skills to business professionals, broaden our portfolios and develop strong references.”

Loyalist offers a two-year diploma program in Business and a three-year advanced diploma in Business Administration. The three-year program offers students the opportunity to specialize in Human Resources, Materials and Operations Management or a combination of both. For more information regarding these options visit click here.

 

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