Industry and diversity important in commerce education

14 August 2015
- for immediate release

Industry and diversity important in commerce education

Staying close to the needs of a burgeoning agribusiness sector is a priority, but so is offering a diverse range of experiences for commerce students.

“We want our students to be confident that what they are learning is relevant to what is on offer out there job-wise so we organised the first Accounting and Finance Career Pathways event. This will be an annual event so that both staff and students can connect with industry professionals,” Department of Financial and Business Systems head Dr Tracy-Anne De Silva says.

Presenters from nine accounting and finance firms spoke to current and prospective students. Many of the presenters were successful Lincoln Alumni.

“A rural banker and a rural accountant were at the event and these are increasingly popular career pathways – rural accountants are in demand. Also a number of students are currently enquiring about studying in this space” she says.

However, the students can also learn from experiencing a different side to business.

As part of the focus of the University’s Accounting and Finance programme on connecting with industry, Dr De Silva’s Management Accounting students recently visited Kilmarnock Enterprises, which operates a toy shop and factory in Riccarton, Christchurch.

Seventy people with an intellectual disability are employed there. It focuses on developing its employees and providing them with a skill set that they can use to find jobs elsewhere.

“It is a social enterprise/charity but operates using a sound business model,” she says.

“During the tour the students were able to witness Kilmarnock's many production processes, learn about their quality control procedures, hear about and witness Kilmarnock's emphasis on health and safety, and health and wellbeing, and learn about their focus on sustainability.”

Visits to businesses like Kilmarnock Enterprises are very valuable, and add an additional element to the learning environment of subjects such as accounting, showing how flexible students may need to be, whether they enter the primary sector or not.

Image; Kilmarnock Enterprises employee Alfredo recycles electronic equipment as the students watch.

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