Massey Business School Boot Camp attendees: Victoria Hawthorne, Chloe Parker, Sam Lee and Daniel Patton.
Some of the country’s best commerce and economics students recently gave up a week of their school holidays to immerse themselves in the world of business. Each year 70 lucky students are selected to attend Massey University’s annual Business Boot Camp. The week-long residential programme is always over-subscribed, with places filling quickly as soon as registrations open.
“Word of mouth about boot camp has really spread,” says co-organiser Dr Jeff Stangl from the Massey Business School. “This is the first year we let students register directly with us, instead of being nominated by their teachers, and we were overwhelmed with the response.”
Business Boot Camp is the brainchild of Dr Stangl, the business school’s executive director of education partnerships, and his wife Dr Loren Stangl, who lectures in marketing and David Farquhar, education specialist at HP. Its aim is to expose students to all aspects of business so they can make more informed decisions about their future studies and careers.
“Most of these young people will have multiple careers and we want them to go out there knowing that a career in business can mean many different things,” Dr Jeff Stangl says. “It’s about exposing them to a whole variety of ideas to help them find their own way, to inspire them to become the next generation of business leaders.
Each lunchtime students heard the personal stories of staff from Business Boot Camp sponsors – Countdown, HP, Jucy, Tower and Chartered Accountants.
A taste of the real world of business
Some of New Zealand’s biggest organisations opened their doors to the students, while staff from others visited Massey’s Auckland campus to share their personal stories, including Countdown, HP, Jucy, Tower and Chartered Accountants.
“Visiting the different businesses and understanding the strategies behind the brands was my favourite experience of the week,” says Matt Gibson from Auckland’s Sacred Heart College. “It gave us a taste of what being in the workforce is like.”
Sam Lee, a student at Albany Senior High, identified the networking opportunities as the key boot camp experience. “My favourite experience at Business Boot Camp was being able to get out of my comfort zone in front of people I had never met. Being able to meet people who shared the same passions as I do was really meaningful to me.”
The students found the combination of fundamental business concepts and practical ‘soft skills’ was what made the programme unique, as well as the opportunity to mix with other highly-engaged students.
“Learning at Boot Camp was a lot more engaging than at school because it’s not just someone reading off a Powerpoint,” says Serenity Temu from Manurewa High School. “Every speaker really engaged with us, which made it really enjoyable.”
Jessie Porter from Mahurangi College says she will return to his school with new skills and a broader perspective on her studies. “I learnt that it’s not all about academics. It’s about character and how we are able to communicate with each other.”
Chloe Parker from Glenfield College agrees. “Business Boot Camp has taken us out and shown us real life opportunities. It has given me an idea of what my career could be like if I studied at Massey.
“I also learnt you have to put yourself out there. Opportunities don’t always come to you – you have to go to them sometimes.”