On April 5, 2016, a business breakfast took place presenting Business to Students: B2S by Arricano educational project as well as the discussion on the topic Why B2S Should Supplement B2B and B2C. Educational Projects as CSR for Business.

The Panellists, Irina Rubis, the General Director of Ekonomika media company, Mikhail Merkulov, the General Director of Arricano Real Estate plc, Nataliya Dmytrenko, the Marketing director of Arricano Real Estate plc, Tatyana Izovit, a Vice-President of Ukrainian Association of Light Industry Companies, Victor Kaplun, the Pro-Rector of Science and Innovations of Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design, Klavdiya Shevelyuk, COO Vasil Kisil, the winner of C4F Davos Awards in company nominees category, Marina Saprykina, the Head of CSR Development Centre, Alena Bokoch, a student of KNUTD, who visited the first lecture within the framework of the project of  B2S by Arricano, on March 31, and the journalists of Ukrainian mass media discussed the pressing issues of interaction between higher education and business.

Nataliya Dmytrenko told how Business for Students project was born in autumn 2015 and implemented already in March 2016. It is worthwhile to say that this is the first educational initiative in developers’ and retailers’ markets of Ukraine. Through joint efforts of Arricano Real Estate plc, Ekonomika Communication Hub Media Company, and Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design, on March 31, 2016, the project of B2S by Arricano successfully started. The essence of this project is to reduce the distance between the university and the first place of employment, transfer the experience of TOP-managers and businessmen to the students who are going to become the employees, managers and owners tomorrow. “This is 10 tandem meetings of students and businessmen, virtually 10 master classes on the things which are not taught at the higher educational institutions with business everyday life case studies which are useful for the students, for their professional and personal development.” Ms. Dmytrenko tells about the project, “For one hour and a half, two TOP-managers - one is from Arricano and another one is an expert of adjacent markets - will talk to the students. We plan to implement the project during spring and autumn study periods. Currently, we cooperate with two higher educational institutions preparing experts needed both in our business and in the business of our tenant-partners.”

Victor Kaplun, the Pro-Rector of the university that was the first to become the partner of B2S by Arricano project, expressed the hope that the dialogue between the educational institutions and future employers would become more profound and of higher quality. He noted that Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design is open for such interaction, ready to create the conditions for conversations between the business and the students, is ready to arrange discussion halls in order to reduce the gap between the expectations of the students and the employees. “We are going to extensively support the projects enabling the communication between the students and the initiative, experienced, intellectual, professional people who are ready to come to the higher educational institution and present their experience.” Professor Kaplun notes.

Arricano is sure that communication between the students and the TOP-managers is going to enrich both parties, provide students with the opportunity to get hands-on knowledge and reference points for their personal development and growth. Mikhail Merkulov remarks that being the leader or commercial real estate market, Arricano is introducing new approaches and new techniques which are forming the market trends. In order to introduce the innovations, to grow and develop, skilled employees are needed, and there is not enough of them at the market. That is why we had the idea of the project of B2S by Arricano which is going to promote more sensible professional choice of the students, acquisition of communication skills, rules of partnership, critical reasoning and creative thinking skills, consequentially, forming higher quality labour market supply. The team regards students’ work placement applications as one of the success criteria of the project of B2S by Arricano. “We understand that our project is just a drop in the ocean. However, constant dropping wears away a stone. If other companies support our initiative, if other higher educational institutions invite the speakers of this project, if a closer interaction of higher educational institutions and the business starts, everybody will benefit either students or higher educational institutions, or business. We are able and willing to help the company and the market, and the country.” Mikhail Merkulov emphasizes.

Marina Saprykina thinks that the work placement opportunity is one of the ways to transform the knowledge obtained in the educational institutions into professional skills which are necessary for young professionals. In order to implement this challenge, CSR Development Centre, in March 2016, initiated the subscription of Pact for Youth 2020 which aims at providing 10,000 work placement and first job places for young people by 2020. “We would like the student to plan his or her carrier. That is why it is important for business to have access to the students.” Ms. Saprykina remarks, “However, it is equally important to work with the teachers, inform them of what the business needs and adjust the educational programs in line with the requirements of the market.”

Klavdiya Shevelyuk noted that for CSR project it is important that the project idea be in line with the company values. Ms. Shevelyuk shared a remarkable fact – over 50% of the graduates realize that they had made a wrong choice of higher educational institution or study area only after they graduated. This fact makes the necessity to promote the right choice of profession by the students up-to-date.

Irina Rubis brought to notice that over the last years the whole layer of carrier-guidance programs for schoolchildren and students emerged, among other things, because the new audience that is currently sitting at the student desks, so called Generation Y and Generation Z, is different. The employees have a huge problem in apprehending and understanding the ways to interact with this audience. “Teenagers and students are the centre of attention of innovative HR and marketing professionals today.” The Director General of Ekonomika Communication Hub emphasized, “The children who grew up in the Internet age consume the information, are motivated, see their goals and improve themselves in a different way. That’s why all the projects aimed at interacting with them are always win-win ones. We have things to give to this dynamic, daring, inquisitive and energetic audience. Impulses and meanings of value, and the experience for the young people, and the concentrate of insights and ideas for adults.” Ekonomika Communication Hub organizes a series of events allowing to see the problem from various sides and to find a new interaction format.

Tatyana Izovit turned her attention to another side of the problem which will allow a modern student to get the job he or she enjoys and which is marketable. Ms. Izovit is sure that it is necessary to monitor the market demand for professions, forecast the need for professionals and develop the education with due account for these demands.

The panellists came to the opinion that the problem of professional and career choice made by modern students and the business request for professionals is diverse and requires the interaction between the areas of education, business and government.