High school students help solve business challenges

The final of the BlueShift Business Case Competition, a business challenge for high schools hosted by QUT Business School, was recently held at QUT's Gardens Point Campus.

The team from Sheldon College fought off competition from 11 other finalist schools from across Queensland to take home a bonanza of prizes including a $2,000 QUT Business School Scholarship and $250 cash for each team member.

The winning team also secured $3,000 for their high school.

Teams of four to six students, from Years 11 and 12, were given a real-world business challenge and required to create an innovative solution.

The final business challenge asked teams to devise a way for The Courier-Mail and The Sunday Mail to increase digital subscriptions, particularly in the under 30 age group, clearly demonstrating how their solution would increase subscriptions.

Given a week to prepare, teams presented their creative responses to a panel of judges made up of industry professionals, QUT academics, students and alumni.

The preliminary case, issued by CareSuper, asked teams to devise a plan to encourage young people to engage with and learn more about superannuation.

QUT Business School director of studies, Bill Proud, said BlueShift had given the high school students a valuable feel for what studying a business degree would involve.

"The competition has given students an insight into the sort of real-world challenges leading businesses face and made them work efficiently and effectively as a team to devise potential solutions," he said.

"This sort of partnership with industry offers mutually beneficial outcomes - a valuable learning experience for high school students and potential solutions to challenges that businesses may not have considered."

BlueShift is proudly sponsored by CareSuper and The Courier-Mail in partnership with QUT Business School.

Media contact:
Rob Kidd, QUT Media, 07 3138 1841, rj.kidd@qut.edu.au
After hours, Rose Trapnell, 0407 585 901