Transnational student consultancy – an integrated approach to business students’ learning

Abstract

[EN] Higher Education Institutions (HEI) are under pressure to enhance graduate employability. The concept of graduate employability refers to a mix of specific skills, knowledge, and personal attributes; among others internationalisation, innovation, and entrepreneurship skills. This paper asks the question: How can HEI enhance students’ internationalisation, innovation, and entrepreneurship skills in order to foster graduate employability? The authors provide insights into a transnational student consultancy teaching approach that was implemented simultaneously at five European HEI in the winter term of 2017/2018. The paper adds to the practical dimension of internationalisation, entrepreneurship education, and innovation pedagogy by presenting an example of how these interrelated concepts can be integrated into a course for business students. The authors discuss important challenges of implementing transnational consultancy projects at HEI, such as varying academic calendars and administrative requirements, matching student teams and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as managing expectations. Based on participant feedback, this paper draws three lessons learned for lecturers that are involved in transnational teaching projects.