Rita Becker

Engaging yourself for B360-education-partnerships definitely pays off

No matter whether you share your knowledge and dedicate some time or if you support B360 Programs with a donation – there is an impressive return on investment. During my assignment in Zambia I realized this once again.

Cooperation with university staff

The B360 Alumni Team (Rabecca, Joseph and Isaac) at UNILUS had prepared a warm welcome for me. From my first minute at UNILUS, they made it easy for me to integrate into their team. Since B360 had enabled them an internship in Switzerland some years ago, they are also part of the B360 „family“. Today, they all work as lecturers at UNILUS. On top of their full work schedule, they had the workshop weeks already well prepared. While we were running the workshops, they stopped by every day to see how the students and we were doing. When needed, they always found time to help us. One of the alumni inspired the students by sharing his own experience as entrepreneur. These B360 Alumni were definitely a key success factor for this first Career Starter Workshop in Zambia.

Collaboration with students

Motivated and talented students from different study areas have been selected. Yes, there are a lot of topics to be covered during this career starter workshop. It is very demanding. Nevertheless, the students kept their energy level up, participated actively and behaved professionally. „Zambian time“ had no chance to enter into our classroom - they were always on time. It was astonishing to see how they increased their self-confidence and their public speaking skills in just one week. Some of the students I could barely hear when they were saying something during the first days. I was even questioning if something could be wrong with my ears. However, during the interview training and the final presentations of their Business Cases they all spoke clearly. They even got very energetic to fight for their business idea. Most of the students did not know each other before this workshop. It is nice to see how they grew together in just one week. Besides having fun together, they also learned on how to deliver as a team.

Zambian Professionals

The Zambian Professionals were one of the highlights and a big opportunity for the students. The professionals shared their experience, challenged the students and gave advice and hints. They encouraged the students to start with what they have and to grab opportunities with both hands. The students got a better understanding of business in Zambia - be it on recruiting or entrepreneurship.

memorable event

Last spring, I was running a Virtual Career Starter course with five Zambian students. Because I travelled now to UNILUS, we finally all met in person. This was a very nice moment for all of us. But they had an even bigger surprise for me. They all came straight from work! Unbelievable. All of these five students already found a job. It is not their dream job yet, but they all have successfully started their career.

impact and win-win

Today, the B360 Alumni at UNILUS are successful in their professional careers. In addition, they engage themselves personally and with high engagement in their home country to support B360-education-partnerships. Furthermore, some B360 Career Starters are gaining experience during their first jobs. I am wondering, what there is to come. Isn’t this already a great success for B360 and its partners?

personal message

Success stories like these are the reason why I like to engage myself for B360-education-partnerships. In addition, I also learn a lot from this know-how exchanges. I am honored, that I was able to travel to UNILUS for the first Career Starter Workshop in Zambia. I will miss the kindness and the big smiles of the Zambian people. Thank you all.