Master’s students at Kent Business School have begun their consultancy journey, working with business to tackle real-world challenges.
The Kent Business Clinic officially got underway as founders from four businesses shared the challenges and opportunities facing their organisations.
Curd & Cure, Foodari, Nim’s Naturally and Romax each presented a live business brief, giving students the opportunity to hear directly the challenges they face, ask questions and begin exploring how their knowledge and skills could help deliver practical solutions.
For the students, the briefings marked the start of a consultancy experience that will take them beyond traditional classroom learning and into the realities of working with clients.
Working in small teams, students will take responsibility for understanding their client’s challenge, researching the issues, analysing information and developing evidence-based recommendations.
The experience is designed to build skills that employers value, including problem-solving, analytical thinking, communication, teamwork, project management and professional confidence.
The Clinic’s first cohort brings together four businesses operating in different markets, each offering students a distinctive challenge from supply forecasting to exploring new market opportunities and recruitment.
Over the coming weeks, students will work closely with their clients to refine their briefs, undertake research and develop recommendations.
Supported by industry mentors, the teams will be expected to manage their projects professionally, communicate effectively with clients and respond to feedback as their work progresses.
The projects will culminate in December, when students present their findings and recommendations directly to the businesses.
Business Analytics student, Raymond Tetteh, said: “I’m really excited to be working on a real consultancy project. Hearing first-hand about the challenges businesses face brought everything to life. I’m looking forward to putting what we’ve learned into practice and presenting our ideas and recommendations back to the client.”
For the participating organisations, the Clinic offers access to fresh perspectives, new ideas and the analytical capabilities of postgraduate students.
The Kent Business Clinic builds on Kent Business School’s established commitment to enterprise, employability and experiential learning, alongside initiatives such as the Business Start-Up Journey and AI for Business Accelerator.
It also strengthens the University’s relationships with the business community, creating opportunities for organisations to engage with emerging talent while contributing directly to students’ professional development.
The next milestone will come in December, when the students present their findings, ideas and recommendations.
The Kent Business Clinic is part of Kent Business School’s new Year in Professional Practice, providing Master’s students with an opportunity to enhance their professional experience while working towards their degree. The year includes the opportunity to work on live consultancy challenges as well as a guaranteed 8-week internship.