SBID – Women in business unite to bridge gap between education and industry

Posted in Business, Events, News on 25 October, 2018

Dr Vanessa Brady OBE, founder and CEO of the Society of British and International Design (SBID) and partner BE OPEN think tank, founded by Elena Baturina, businesswoman, entrepreneur and philanthropist, has devised a new national competition, Designed for Business. The competition aims to foster creativity and innovation, providing tools to bridge the gap between education and industry.

The competition is aimed at final year creative students and graduates across Interior Design, Decoration, Product Design, Fashio, Art & Design. Students were asked to submit their final year projects for a chance to win a prize of £30,000, enabling them to pay off the average cost of student debt or to establish a creative start-up business.

Brady grew up in a small village in the English countryside whilst Baturina was born into a family of factory workers in Moscow. Opportunities were limited for both and creative careers were discouraged due to the need for a stable income, this undoubtedly led them to each develop an entrepreneurial drive from an early age.

Brady worked with BE OPEN to launch the competition that encourages students to use their creative ambitions and to maximise the value of a creative education for students, companies and universities. SBID recognises the investment involved in university education and aims to facilitate a smoother transition from education into industry. This appealed to Baturina who, as a self-made businesswoman feels strongly about nurturing emerging talent, the all-important next generation who will shape the future.

in business, both have experienced hiring highly qualified graduates equipped with a sound understanding of their subject but without a grasp of the practical tools required for industry. They feel strongly that this vocational aspect should be introduced during their studies and are delighted that the competition, with its focus on business, is due to become part of the curriculum at a number of British universities in the years to come.

Dr Vanessa Brady OBE comments, “We are delighted to be working with BE OPEN for the competition, Elena’s experience as a female figurehead in the global construction industry brings together many of the principles of the competition, showing how creativity and business come together. We believe that the competition will provide a life-changing opportunity for the winning student and hope to encourage current students to develop a business mind throughout their creative education, in order to become the pioneers of the future.”

Elena Baturina comments, “We are very happy to partner with SBID for the Designed for Business competition as we share many of thes same ideas and there is a great synergy between the two companies. We are excited by the explosion of creativity that has emerged during the competition and look forward to following the journey of the winning student and their project, to fruition. We feel strongly about the importance of the prize money as being a concrete commitment to the winter as an aspiring creative business owner.”

www.sbid.org

www.beopenfuture.com

Join our mailing list

Click here to Join
  Join our mailing list