At the Harmonious Entrepreneurship Society, we very much believe in learning by doing, something which is integral to Entrepreneurship Education but which we believe should be the norm. Education is not, in our view, about what you know but about what you can do with your knowledge. Hence the competition we will be launching will require its participants to work in teams on creating an innovative, harmonious enterprise that will address the sustainability challenge. While we will provide inputs and, importantly, feedback, the teams will learn by applying their knowledge and understanding, and by thinking and behaving entrepreneurially, not sitting passively and/or learning by rote.
In line with our philosophy, our appointed student interns under UWTSD’s student internship scheme, Laura and Adrienne, are helping organise and promote the upcoming online competition between students of UWTSD and the University of Malaya–Wales.
Laura Ann Yildiz is a UWTSD final year International Travel and Tourism Management mature student. Laura shares, “being selected as one of the first Harmonious Entrepreneurship Society’s interns has been a privilege. Building on previous experience and skills working with industry experts ABTA, this opportunity has enabled me to further develop knowledge, skills and understanding of sustainable developments, raising awareness of the global sustainability challenges and the importance of the future creation of Harmonious Enterprises. I have been liaising with academics, students, sponsors, and industry professionals to develop an effective marketing campaign in preparation for the Student Enterprise Competition Event Launch day. This has allowed me to gain a wealth of experience and in-depth knowledge, develop vital key skills important for the industry, and provide new networking opportunities that will immensely benefit my development”.
Adrienne Boran is also a final year mature UWTSD International Travel and Tourism Management. Adrienne explains, “since starting university, I have been keen to undertake as many experiences as I can. Building on the opportunity to work alongside ABTA as a regional representative, working with the Harmonious Entrepreneurship Society has been an honour. It has enabled me to enhance vital knowledge, skills and understanding and helped me to develop in raising awareness of the global sustainability challenges. Recognising the importance of Harmonious ventures, I now feel more empowered to support more sustainable and responsible tourism and events in the future. Being involved with the launch day of the Inter-University Competition is something I am very proud of. It has allowed me to contribute to the Society’s online networking and presence, raise awareness through all social media platforms and develop further academic connections in preparation for a future within a more sustainable industry”.
Both Laura and Adrienne are International Travel and Tourism Management students, so they are able to put into practice and reinforce, much of the classroom learning they have acquired in their studies. However, the internship also allows them to add to their body of understanding. For Adrienne Boran, the internship is giving her an insight into entrepreneurship and sustainability and its impact on tourism, while for Laura Yildiz, liaising with academics, students and sponsors is helping her develop the key skills that will be helpful in her career in the tourism industry. From our perspective, it is not only helpful to have their very practical hands-on inputs but to have their ideas and their understanding of how young people think and communicate. Far from being a liability, they are very much an asset, something that is not always recognised by employers. And who knows, we may even be able to persuade them to join us on our journey not just in Wales or the UK but around the globe.
From the perspective of the student experiential learning is important for, as the Chinese Philosopher Xunzi recognised (340-245 BC) recognised, “What I hear I forget,. What I see, I remember . What I do I understand”.
Internships can go wrong, but in the majority of cases, as in ours, they produce a win for the employer, a win for the student and a win for society. And this is what the Harmonious Entrepreneurship Society and its competition is all about – benefiting people and the planet, not just making money.
David and Felicity
HES 2020-2023 