16 de December de 2019
The students at EAE Barcelona show all their potential during the celebration of a Hackathon that connects the brightest talent with leading companies
A challenge, a winning team, contact with companies, talent and an event that boosts employability. This is the Building Leaders programme, an initiative from the Professional Careers team, whose second edition has been held this year, consolidating the initiative as a firm fixture at the School with the celebration of a Hackathon. Five companies and several mentors have guided and evaluated EAE students, who were divided into groups from different Master programs to develop real business propositions.
Applying the design thinking and collective intelligence methodologies, the event is “designed to give participants the opportunity to compete and collaborate at the same time, but with the focus firmly on the idea, never on the person”, explained José María González from Álamo, the CEO of Innovation Works and a mentor at EAE. The participants work together to resolve five real business challenges set by the companies with the aim of offering the best possible solution, generated by a dynamic and collective intellect. “The goal is to identify the problem to be resolved, generate ideas to resolve it and decide how to implement them, and then tell a story: what the company was like before and what it will be like once the idea has been implemented”.
The event was organized by EAE’s Professional Careers team. “The companies are looking for talent and they have seen it in action here today action”, emphasized Federica Assandria, from the School’s Professional Careers Department and organizer of the event. She added that, this year, consultants have taken part who are experts in different methodologies more focused on the result and the emotion experienced on the challenge. “We have received more applications to take part from the students, which shows that this has already established itself as a well-known and consolidated initiative at EAE”.
The company challenge
Ferrero, Nestlé, Bimbo, Schneider Electric and Enterprise Holdings were the companies taking part in this special employability program at the Barcelona Campus. The Director of Supply Chain at Ferrero, Nicolás, explained that they consider it a key event for bringing together different points of view to tackle real business problems. “We discover the new approaches offered by the new generations, who will soon be working at our company”. Domingo Valero, from Enterprise Holdings, was very pleased with the experience and has seen improvements, positive changes and a higher standard compared to last year.
Alicia Medralejo, the Director of Employment Branding at Schneider Electric, emphasized that, this year, the students have gained insight into a working structure and techniques that they can apply to real problems. “If I had to give them some advice, I would say that it is crucial to understand the company and decide whether it is where they really want to work. Learn to say no if it is not something that they feel passionate about”.
Camaraderie, contact with classmates, listening …
Lucía Salles, a student in the Master in Marketing and Commercial Management and member of the Bimbo team, described the Hackathon as a pretty big challenge “because you don’t know what challenge you will be set by the company, nor the team you are working with, and you are really against the clock. In my opinion, we have really integrated well together, and I have learned a great deal, especially in terms of the methodology and approach for formulating and encompassing all our ideas”.
A member of the Nestlé team, Esteve Serra, a student on the IMBA, explained that the event started a day earlier, with presentations and activities to get to grips with the methodologies. “It has been really interesting. The best aspect is the chance to spend time with students from different Master programs who we didn’t know before, and we each brought different viewpoints to the table. That is fantastic because, in real life, you have to work as a team”.
The learning experience for the students was fundamental. “This has been an incredible experience for me. It is an opportunity to see how companies are tackling new problems and how we, as potential talent, can contribute new ways of doing things.”, explained Alma Leal, a student on the IMBA and member of the Bimbo team. “I am really pleased to have learned from the others, to compete and collaborate. We are all winners and leaders”.
The Nestlé team, winner of the second EAE Hackathon in Barcelona
“A really good team experience. It is great to receive recognition as the winner, but the important thing was taking part and learning from everyone’s different perspectives and using that insight to generate value in something”, explained Marilín Sofía, a student on the Master in Project Management, and a member of Nestlé’s winning team. Marilín would like to stay in Barcelona and join a multinational.
This a very realistic prospect as the companies have seen the potential of all the students over the course of the event. Most of the companies offer the winning team the opportunity to take part in an assessment, direct access for recruitment and the chance to present their project to the company managers. Moreover, the winning team received the chance to undergo a PDA, an innovative test that analyses competences, and guidance from a coach specializing in employability.