Students from the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) develop entrepreneurship and leadership skills
Malaysia, 26 JULY 2016 – The Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) qualified two teams, of only 29 nationwide, for the finals of the Youth Entrepreneurs Competition on 16 July 2016. Comprising of international students from various undergraduate programmes in MDIS, the teams proudly made it to the finals with innovative business ideas – 3D ‘Pokemon’ planter and uniquely Singapore Water Cake.
The Youth Entrepreneurs Competition (YEC) is a Singapore national competition for students to learn about business and entrepreneurship. Open to secondary school and tertiary students, the competition aims to develop their creativity and expose them to social entrepreneurship and leadership skills.
Nurturing leaders of tomorrow
“Education plays a critical role in connecting students with the world and helping them grasp real world issues and solutions. At MDIS, we aim to nurture leaders of tomorrow; providing equal opportunities to all our students,” said Dr R Theyvendran, Secretary-General of MDIS. He added, “The mix of local and international students at MDIS fosters engagement, cultural exchange and socialization. This allows our students to acquire a global outlook, an advantage in today’s global economy,”
MDIS is Singapore’s oldest not-for-profit professional institute for lifelong learning. Like the Singapore education brand, MDIS is recognized globally for educational excellence. Over the past 60 years, the institute has provided quality international education to students all over the world; in partnership with top universities in Australia, France, UK and USA to develop relevant and in-demand skills for industries. The institute’s latest 2015 career survey has shown that 78% of its graduates have found jobs within six months of graduation.
Industry exposure and opportunities
Bong An Gee (Angel), team member of 3D Happiness which had created the planter, is one of many students from Malaysia, Sarawak who has made MDIS her choice institute for education. The 1st year Accounting and Finance student worked with a team of four other students to brainstorm and develop their business idea. Their slogan “Yesterday’s nostalgia, tomorrow’s technology, today’s gift” aptly describes their creation – a nostalgic first generation Pokemon collectible planter, developed as a tribute to Singapore’s garden city state using one of the latest technology, 3D printing. The team arrived at the idea of a 3D printed lifestyle product as they recognised that 3D printing has the potential to impact our lifestyle and our behaviour as consumers in a big way.
“The YEC was a good learning experience for me and my team mates who come from Brunei, India, Vietnam and Singapore. I believe the different perspectives we each brought to the competition helped make our team and business plan stronger. I realize teamwork is very important; it was essential to work closely together, combine our ideas and come up with a business proposal and plan,” shared Angel.
Teams were judged based on their business plan, retail identity, total sales and votes from members of the public. They had to bring to life a product concept, develop a business plan from scratch and design a marketing programme to sell their products. The students got to experience the real world of business; they engaged with local entrepreneurs who helped mentor them and were exposed to very real issues facing entrepreneurs and businesses today.
Over three occasions, team 3D Happiness raked in S$800 in sales, the proceeds of which will go to various charities. Angel added, “I have learnt how to market a product, how to talk to customers and persuade them to buy our products. The marketing skills I’ve learnt will certainly be useful for me when I step into the workplace.”
新加坡管理发展学院 Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS)
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