Over the past year, we have focused on:
University Case study events: We continue to engage with students by running university case study events, collaborating with four universities since January. These sessions are made possible by the support from Career Departments and student Consulting Societies. Strong support from our Young MCA members has meant that we are able to provide diverse representation of the consulting industry, to address topic and industry specific case study sessions.
Expanded to universities in new regions: Following the shift to virtual events, this has enabled us to expand our reach and support universities in new regions. The virtual world allows us to work with new universities across many regions and offer greater opportunities for our member firms to get involved.
Myth Buster events: We have also seen an increase in the number of universities requesting consultant Q&A and myth buster type events. These sessions give students the opportunity to ask consultants questions about the world of consulting, generally gives them an understanding of whether consulting is a good fit for them as a career. We expect these events to continue to be in demand as the industry continues to attract talent.
University lecture support programme: For a second year we continued to support Birkbeck, University of London’s change management course working with their lecturer to deliver an evening class. A panel of Young MCA consultants with experience in change management were invited to support students to address a case study, by providing practical insights through small working groups with students.
Career in Consulting document: Members of the Young MCA network have contributed content to develop a ‘Guide to a Career in Consulting’ which aims to give university students an insight into young consultants’ experiences in the consulting industry. This document provides hears from graduates on their motivations to pursue a career in consultancy, through to the challenges, tips they’d pass on to perspective consultants and dispel common myths. We hope to publish this document soon share with our contacts in the next academic year.
Over the next few months, our focus will be on:
- Increasing engagement with students across the UK: We will continue to collaborate with careers departments for Panel Discussion and Case Study Events, and hope to further expand our University Network in line with our Regional Young MCA presence
Can you help? Please reach out to us with your contacts / alumni networks who may benefit from these experiences
- Developing ‘Self-service tools and support collateral’: with the ultimate aim of providing a central document repository that Young MCA consultants can use to promote consulting as a career by engaging with University Careers’ Departments outside of key MCA events
- Networking within the Young MCA: we are looking to introduce mechanisms to encourage cross-firm networking opportunities within the Young MCA membership base. We have now hosted our first Speed Networking event, and hope to continue these to encourage cross-firm discussion and Subject Matter discussion forums
If you would like to get involved in future Young MCA/University engagement please contact events@mca.org.uk.
Written by Abigail Bryce and Vishal Nair, Young MCA Vice Chairs for Universities & Networks