Students' experience

"Gaining work experience on a high professional level"

Sophie Dia, Marketing student, about her experience with the SME Portal: "Working for the SME portal was a great learning experience for me. Within a period of 10 weeks I got the opportunity to apply the knowledge I have gained throughout my Marketing studies and to put this theory into practice. This was a great opportunity to get insights into a specific industry as well as to learn about e-commerce practices. I think that this project has helped me to improve my research and project management skills in many ways. The combination of team work and individual study has shaped my communication ability which in turn benefits my personal and professional development. Gaining real work experience under the supervision of an academic staff member gave me the feeling of working on a high level of professionalism. One of the main drivers to work hard and do my best was the fact that there was a real company behind the project with a serious interest in the outcomes of the study. Knowing that your input will be part of a new e-marketing strategy is a nice motivation to excel in job assignments. To conclude, I am satisfied with the work experience I have gained and I can only recommend students to work for the SME portal as a nice complement to their studies."

"Working and learning under good guidance"

Myrelle Bullens, about her experience with the SME Portal: "Working for the SME Portal was a positive experience for me. Especially the flexibility was big advantage for me. You work with clear agreements and deadlines but you have the freedom to divide your on time during the different project phases. The guidance we have had was always useful and efficient. This is one of the main reasons we were able to finalize the project in a proper way. It was very interesting to work on this project and at the same time having the opportunity to bring theory into practice. For me it was a nice and meaningful experience and I would love to do it again."

 “Valuable and relevant work experience”

George Chioran, Masters student in Finance from Romania, conducted a feasibility study about setting up an additional facility in Romania for a Belgian glass company. For him, applying theory to practice was the most valuable aspect of working through the SME Portal. Only then did he realize how striking the gap between theory and practice is. “This kind of work experience also gives you a better idea of what you might want to pursue as a job later on. For me, it has drawn me more towards consultancy.”

Working for a small, dynamic company gave George lots of plus factors, taking a peep at the real business life being just one. “For example, my time management skills have definitely improved as a result of the practical work experience. Before, studying Finance, I was used to a really structured approach, but this time I had to take care of how to approach the work myself. It taught me how to get an overview over the workload and how to work independently and responsibly. Project management skills are indispensable in today’s increasingly project-driven work life.”

In the end George also had to write a formal report covering the results of the conducted feasibility study. “This experience has really helped me focus on the details and stay concise at the same time. This actually relates to the project as a whole. It is crucial to look at the details, but keeping track of the bigger picture is just as important.”

“Overall, I am really proud of my achievements. I think I can enter the job market more confidently now due to the relevant work experience I gained.”

“Academic supervision really makes the difference”

Annelies van der Jagt, a Dutch MSc of Organizations student, has already completed three projects through the SME Portal. “Being able to bridge the gap between theory and practice was definitely a major motivation. However, being guided by an academic staff member really makes the difference. You know that the quality of the content will be high and challenging.”
Annelies chose working through the SME Portal because of the research part, which she thinks is missing in other working opportunities. “I realized that doing research is not just pure theory. It is still very much applicable to companies and business life. For instance, I was able to apply methods learned at university, such as the SWOT analysis, Porter’s 5-forces model, NetQuestionnaire and statistical measures to analyze the outcomes”.
Furthermore, Annelies observed that many students only aspire to work for big MNCs and don’t realize the advantages of SMEs. “SMEs are a great learning environment. Working for a smaller company gives you the opportunity to approach everybody. Even directors are relatively accessible which you will never see in multinationals. In a relatively short time frame you really get a good grasp of how everything works.”
Summarizing, what really convinced Annelies was the practical application of theory combined with the guidance of an academic staff member throughout the project to ensure high-value results. “I believe that this is an optimal setting for students wishing to gather some experience in the business world, but with professional support.”

"Invaluable for personal and professional development"