As part of our MSc Marketing Management, MBA, MBA Energy Management, International Business Management, MBA Finance and International Business and Finance students have the opportunity to take part in three Industry Weeks during their degree.
Each Industry Week gives students the opportunity to network with industry experts and take part in practical ‘consultancy projects’ focused on an industry-relevant company issue.
For example, this month’s Industry Week included Marketing Management students working with and presenting to Aberdeen Football Club based on group briefs to develop new ideas to support the promotion of AFC Community Trust, eSports, retail sales and increase the number of student supporters.
In preparation for their presentations Pete McIntosh & Kelsey Barbour from Aberdeen based creative agency, Hampton delivered a workshop to the students during the start of the week, giving insights into life in a marketing agency, their own career history in marketing and providing top tips on how to cover all aspects of a marketing brief.
Pete McIntosh commented after the workshop “It was great to be invited along to present to the Marketing Management students. Taking part in workshops like this allows us to reflect on the work we do and the principles we put in place each day. It’s also great to hear fresh ideas from the marketers of tomorrow who are looking at things form a new perspective.
I would say that it’s very important for students to network and make industry connections and attend industry weeks, getting an insight in to the real world of marketing is valuable and a great way to gain some experience. It’s a very competitive job market so it’s good to think of ways to make your CV stand out, get creative, make it fun but don’t devalue yourself in the process. Employers like to see something different.”
The MBA Energy Management students also had the opportunity to attend various business case workshops and speaker sessions with key business leaders within the energy industry. One of these speakers included Dr David Wotherspoon a civil engineer with over 30 years working in infrastructure working across oil & gas, power interconnectors and offshore renewable energy.
David’s speaker session was focused on “Wind Energy” as he is currently developing offshore wind projects in Taiwan and Vietnam. David said "I'm always impressed by the ability of students to assimilate and make sense of large amounts of information in a short space of time, and my time with the Energy Management MBA students reinforced this.
It's hugely enjoyable to interact with people who can immediately grasp some of the key issues in renewable energy and relate this to their own experiences in different parts of the world. The variety of backgrounds led to some interesting discussions and questions which sometimes challenged the 'accepted thinking'.
I believe the students benefit hugely from the exposure to industry practitioners, allowing them to think about the how the tools and techniques they learn through the MBA can be applied to international, national and company level issues.
This is a particularly interesting time to be in the Energy arena, with the energy transition and the move to decarbonisation providing huge opportunities for innovative thinking. This is where the Energy MBA can add a distinct advantage and the students who can spot the opportunities arising in this transition will do well”
