Career in the business world: University students exposed to the job market

Helping undergraduate students think about key factors which impact businesses and prepare them for the job market. This is the objective set by The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) through its three ‘Commercial Awareness’ sessions with leading universities, namely the University of Mauritius, University of Technology, Mauritius, and Middlesex University Mauritius. ICAEW representatives Jonathan Worrell and Helen Kelly from UK were in Mauritius to run this programme. Nowadays, it is essential to understand the business world from a wide range of perspectives, particularly the key factors that impact on businesses such as customers, stakeholders and competitors. ICAEW has been present in Mauritius for four years now offering ACA qualification, and for the accounting body, it is important to organise such events. “Feedback from Mauritian employers is similar to those from the UK: commercial awareness skills are highly sought-after and vital to a successful career in business. We hope that these sessions will help to ensure that those undergraduate students are ready for the business world”, says Jonathan Worrell, ICAEW Senior Business Development Manager. During the sessions, participants were given a real life case study on competition between major smartphone vendors, which simulates the ICAEW final exam. They were then put into groups to analyse data, identify future growth strategies and present findings to the group. The teams then received feedback and the best groups were awarded a prize. ICAEW has been running these kinds of events in the UK with leading universities to give potential applicants an idea of the kind of skills employers seek. “Conducting these real life case studies gives an opportunity to these students to draw from knowledge and research, practice skills of analysis and reasoning and draw conclusions,” says Helen Kelly, ICAEW Marketing Executive. ICAEW has been offering the ACA qualification in Mauritius since 2012 and has seen a growing interest in that course. However, given it is still a new qualification here, it is important that students understand its benefits. That is why for the past four years, the ICAEW Student Recruitment team has taken the time to engage with students, both at school and during university career fairs and job expo. In addition, ICAEW has launched a new report last month about the ambitions of young business people starting their careers and what employers need to do to attract and retain them. According to the new report, ICAEW millennials are ambitious and want to take on opportunities for leadership and senior management positions and could provide a valuable pool of talent. As business leaders from the baby boomer generation retire over the next five years, organisations can make the most of millennials by changing and tapping into their personal aspirations. ICAEW has commissioned this report as part of its continued commitment to understanding the ambition and future aspirations of millennial ACA students and ICAEW members.