Presented entrepreneurial idea to investors in California
Nathan J. Etefa developed a mobile application during his student exchange semester. He believes it can contribute to solve Portugal’s problems with its black economy and littering.
Job interviews lined up after Innovation School
At Innovation school in California, Ingvild Kvinnsland learned new innovation techniques to bring innovation in business. ‘That makes her attractive in the job market,’ says an NHH researcher.
‘I want to work somewhere where I can challenge established practices and come up with proposals for solutions that can bring new value to a company,’ says NHH student Ingvild Kvinnsland.
She has just returned to Bergen after spending a week in Oslo, where she had three job interviews for permanent positions in the public sector and in consultancy companies.
Her experience from the Innovation school at the University of California, Berkely, this summer, makes her stand out among job applicants.
‘More companies need expertise in how they can implement innovation processes for their customers, and I think the Innovation School can be relevant in that context,’ she says.
‘A number of the employers I have spoken to, have pointed out that the experience I gained there, and my master’s degree from NHH, were the factors that led to me being called in for an interview. Now we’ll just have to wait and see what job I finally get,’ says the 24-year-old.
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NEED INNOVATION EXPERTISE
The head of the innovation school, Associate Professor Tor Askild Aase Johannessen says that the business sector needs people who can lead innovation and change processes.
‘Figures from the Norwegian Innovation Index show that there is a huge gap in Norwegian enterprises’ innovative ability, and some enterprises are perceived as having very little innovative ability. This can be problematic as it affects their competitiveness. It is thus important that they manage to reinvent themselves,’ he says.
He believes that the innovation school makes the students more relevant for the labour market.
‘Employers find them attractive as they learn to think strategically about enterprises’ innovation processes and can successfully lead such processes,’ he says.
Developed the city of the future
Innovation School
- Innovation School is a collaboration between NHH and the University of California, Berkeley.
- The programme was first available to NHH students in summer 2017.
- The programme takes place over six weeks and confers 30 credits.
- Last year, 75 applicants applied for 40 places. That was an increase of 17 applicants from the year before.
- The application deadline for the innovation school this year is 15 October.
The innovation school takes six weeks and is mainly held in the world’s leading hub for innovation and technology development – Silicon Valley. One day a week is set aside for teaching, and the students spend the rest of the time in practical training in an enterprise.
‘I worked for the Mayor of Berkeley, and looked at how the city could be more sustainable and technology-driven. This meant that I had to assess various investment and financing options and devise plans for the inclusion of the local community,’ says Kvinnsland.
Fellow student Elsa Holten also attended the innovation school and worked for a growing entrepreneurial company. She was inspired to start her own company.
‘At the school, we learned techniques for innovation, and we gained an insight into what is required for organising and leading an innovation cooperation,’ she says.
‘The programme is useful because you gain the opportunity to test out the theory you learn in practice. That’s when you realise that some things are easier to do on paper than in practice,’ says Holten.