Congratulations and welcome to our new IOEE Academy Sheffield Hallam University Business School!
With one of the top business schools in the country, Sheffield Hallam’s entrepreneurial ideologies are set on real world experience with endless support for student start-ups. If that wasn’t enough, their new goal is to spread the enterprising spirit University wide with the help of IOEE.
We spoke to Asif Majid, the Course Leader and Senior Lecturer in Strategic Management and Enterprise. After working in the engineering industry for thirteen years Asif fell into teaching by chance after taking a Business Development role at Bradford University. Since then, he received huge amounts of positive feedback for his teaching and in 2014 started at Sheffield Hallam University as a senior lecturer. In the duration of his years at the university, Asif became the course leader for the BA Business Enterprise and Management program, it was in this role that he first came across the IOEE. After conversations with our Chief Executive Sarah Trouten and visits to some of our other academies, Sheffield Hallam officially began the journey to becoming an IOEE academy. Since joining we have now mapped their enterprise modules against the national enterprise standards and in doing so, provided it with the external validation needed to demonstrate how innovative their course really is. Furthermore, with their new IOEE membership, students now have access to all our online resources to aid their enterprising studies.
When asked why it was important for Sheffield Hallam to become an IOEE academy, Asif stated that it was important for the business school to demonstrate that they are committed to enterprise and entrepreneurship and to have something to externally validate the course against national standards. Sheffield Hallam’s commitment to enterprise is obvious, particularly as they aim to spread the entrepreneurship spirit university wide with the option for students in any courses take business elective modules. Passion for enterprise is at the heart of all learning at the university, with a multitude of practical and creative activities for students to get real business experience. One activity in particular involved students setting up their own pop up shop to sell a product they had created. Asif recalled one group who created a drinks kit, complete with cards and glasses, that had sold five before the event had even started and sold out during the short 2 hours the event ran for. It is this kind of practical entrepreneurship that the business school aims to inspire.
Students at the university are also taking the enterprising reins into their own hands with the Enterprise Society which is open to all students from all courses. For years the society has put on their own Dragons Den which involved students pitching their ideas for a cash prize. This year’s winner, George Gibson a first year BA (Hons) Business and Enterprise Management student, came up with an idea centred around the importance of mental health and how businesses could use an assortment of quotes to reduce anxiety, inspire a positive mindset and improve mental health, a cause which is particularly important following the repercussions of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Although the pandemic has stopped us all from going into work or universities, it has not stopped the Sheffield Hallam Business School from setting up events for their students. Since the pandemic hit, students have still been able to engage with outside businesses in a practical setting to gain real world business insight. Guest speakers from companies have been able to present business problems to the students and feedback on the solutions the groups came up with. Asif Majid stated that although the school haven’t been able to put on nearly as many activities as they usually would, the students have adapted well to the current situation and are finding the positives in their new work environment. Such as learning valuable digital skills and recognising the importance of social media for business in an increasingly online society.
The future for Sheffield Hallam’s enterprising learning looks increasingly bright with the building of a new business school which has been designed for the enterprise agenda. Structured specifically to inspire collaboration between business owners, entrepreneurs, students and academics. Furthermore, with the Business School and the president of the student union committed to the objective of rolling out enterprising education university wide there is no doubt that the university as a whole are passionate about enterprise and teaching students the confidence to pursue their dreams that they might not have thought possible when joining in first year. We here at IOEE are extremely excited to move forward in our partnership with the university and look forward to seeing what creative enterprising ideas they pursue in the future.
IOEE is dedicated to enterprise education and providing both students and staff with the resources and mentorship that they need to thrive in the entrepreneurial mission. IOEE Academy status not only provides students and staff with these resources but externally validates your existing enterprise program against national standards and links you with the other universities in our network.
If you’d like to join our enterprising network of academies, contact us at [email protected] . We hope to see you soon!