A Bridge between Higher Education and the Labour Market
UNIGE’s new Master in Business Analytics combines a university education with a corporate internship. On February 14, students on the course will have ten minutes to win over their future employers.
Students will take part in ten minutes recruitment sessions with the members of the GEM. (UNIGE)
The digital transformation of organisations and accompanying proliferation of data have turned business analytics into a key area for analysing and tracking customer behaviour and expectations as well as future market trends. The Geneva School of Economics and Management (GSEM) at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) offers a Master in Business Analytics (MaBAn) to meet this rising demand. The Groupement des Entreprises Multinationales (GEM) has been the program’s exclusive partner since the beginning of the current academic year. The Master, which is unique in Switzerland, combines a first year of academic studies at the university followed by a year on a corporate internship, thereby creating new bridges between higher education and the needs of the business world. In their efforts to find a second-year internship, students will take part in a speed recruitment meeting on February 14. They will have 10 minutes to convince representatives of the participating companies, all members of the GEM.
“Business analytics lies at the intersection of data science, statistics and management,” explains Diego Kuonen, a GSEM professor and director of the MaBAn. “It uses data to help make strategic decisions in uncertain conditions and to optimises business processes.” The MaBAn is the first program to carry the «business analytics» title in Europe. It aims to support and prepare students for jobs in data analysis and management in the current context of digital transformation. The economy is lacking analytical skills: in 2016, the McKinsey Global Institute estimated that the US economy would absorb between two and four million “business translators” by 2026. These translators will act as a link between analytical talent and practical applications. The MaBAn has been set up to train future leaders in corporate data analysis.
The speed recruitment meeting, to be held on February 14 at Uni Mail, will help MaBAn students find a second-year internship. Representatives from GEM members will present their companies and the internship opportunities on offer. The students will then take part in short individual recruitment sessions – lasting no longer than ten minutes – with each company. The GEM reinforces its involvement in training and employment, and helps its member companies contribute to training future professionals in digital transformation.
Helping the transition to professional practice
As Catherine Noël, Head of GEM’s human resources commission explains: “The fact that the program facilitates the transition to professional practice has been decisive in the context of the GEM’s participation, and it reflects the strong desire of the participating companies”. Based on the idea of dual training, these interdisciplinary Master courses bring university education closer to the needs of the economy. They allow fifth-year students to complete their studies in a business environment. “The GEM is proud to help train young people in the professions of tomorrow and to open doors to the world of work.”
11 Feb 2019