10 Ways for Colleges to connect with Businesses
There are many reasons why colleges need to engage with local businesses, including:
- Helping students’ career options – show young people the various options available to them by getting them talking to local business owners
- Improving the college reputation – engagement with local businesses highlights the college’s desire to produce valuable future workforce
- Provision of training options – demonstrate that the college provides great training opportunities for companies’ work force, whether full-time or part-time, for apprentices or employees, and via work place studies
- Showcase the wide variety of course subjects – show companies the vast variety of courses that are available to them and their employees
- Corporate Social Responsibility awareness – helping companies with their CSR positioning, as many companies like to be seen to be giving something back to the community
Here are some ways your college can engage with local businesses:
- Hold business networking events – these events are beneficial to the networkers (as they get more new business), the students (by showing them how local businesses work together to gain new business) and to the college (raising profile and possible revenue stream)
- Host local job fairs – allows students to see the variety of jobs that are available and allows employers to promote their industry (and possibly dispel certain perceptions)
- Hold local business events – in connection with a local business networks Chamber, Federation of Small Businesses and/or innovation and incubation hubs
- Host speaking engagements – an influential guest speaker can be beneficial for both the students and the business world
- Hold regular procurement events – can be used to advise local businesses of the college’s tender process, including giving details of current tender opportunities, offering advice on the completion of tender documents and informing them of the decision process
- Set student challenges – ask local employers to set students projects that encourage them to come up with solutions for the business
- Work placements – ask businesses to offer work placements that are both beneficial for the students to gain experience and that help the business
- Solve business problems – ask local businesses to set your students a challenge that could solve a problem for the business whilst also benefitting the students’ course work
- Interviews for college newsletters – ask students to interview local business owners about the challenges currently facing them in the business world
- Business training – offer business owners training courses that are beneficial to both their employees and the business owners themselves
We hope this blog gives food for thought. This is just one example of how Data Bubble are helping College Business Teams to engage with local businesses. for more info Visit College Marketing Service or call us now on 01274 965411 and have a chat.
You can Trust Data Bubble with your Marketing campaigns as we are members Chartered Institute of Marketing
