November 3, 2016, by Matthew Lumley

What is Consultancy? Find out by joining the Challenge

Jacqui Storey, Module Convenor

Opportunities to gain experience of the working world come in many guises. There are part-time jobs, internships and year-long placements to name a few, all of which can provide you with skills and experience that will equip you for your future working life. The Nottingham Consultancy Challenge provides another avenue for gaining these skills whilst at the same time helping a local charity, public sector body or small company.

“The project gives students an opportunity to experience negotiation and meetings, something not often done in technical degrees” Student

The Consultancy Challenge involves teams of five students working together over the spring term to deliver a piece of consultancy to a local organisation. The projects are all issues that organisations need support with and range from evaluating the health and well-being outcomes of an energy efficiency/warm home initiative to researching the viability of a company expanding into the electric vehicles market.

“I think the module builds a lot of skills that can be demonstrated on your CV. It’s also great that you can use your knowledge in a real-life setting which you can gain feedback from but also gain recognition through the NAA” Student

By taking part in a Challenge you will learn how to take a brief from a client, interpret their requirements, formulate a project plan, work in a diverse team, and write and present a formal report. These are all excellent skills and experiences to add to your CV.

In the first week of a Challenge you’ll receive training and support from the Careers and Employability Service before you meet your clients in the second week. You’ll present your findings back to your clients in week 6 and will be helped to reflect on what you have learned at the end of the project. Challenges take place on each of the UK campuses. You don’t have to apply to the campus you study at as your timetable might be better suited to another campus Consultancy Challenge.

Key dates

Application start date: Open

Application deadline: Friday 11 November 2016

More module information can be found here.

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