On April 25, the 'Smart Challenge' Business Case Solving Championship took place as part of the educational and practical programme "Rivne Smart Challenge." This event provides young people with a valuable opportunity to kick-start their careers and introduce themselves to potential employers as competent, motivated talent.
Young people from the National University of Ostroh Academy (NaUOA), the National University of Water and Environmental Engineering (NUWE), and the Rivne State Humanitarian University (RSHU) joined the Smart Challenge.
17 student teams solved a business case proposed by Verallia Ukraine, based on real challenges in its operations. During the day, they looked for the most successful solution and presented their developments to the expert commission. The winners were determined by a jury consisting of representatives of regional businesses and project partners.
The first place was taken by the Ostroh Academy team consisting of Yana Yushchyk, Maria Redkovych, and Olha Khorovska (Majoring in "Marketing").
Olena Komarenko, founder of the Smart People business school, noted:
«Our Championship is a long-term initiative that began 10 years ago. It has provided many young people with opportunities to meet their first employers. It has become a springboard for successful careers at top companies in the region. Our Championship is not commercially driven; it is part of our commitment to social responsibility as a business school. We recognise that one of the biggest challenges facing Ukrainian businesses today is a shortage of skilled personnel. We hear about this issue every day. On the other hand, some students can already look for points of intersection between what they can be valuable to Ukrainian business and what it can teach them for their future career path.»
The Business Case Solving Championship is the next stage of the Rivne Smart Challenge programme. Within its framework, several meetings between socially responsible businesses and students, career workshops, and excursions for young people to partner companies took place. The project strengthens interaction between higher education institutions and business through systematic, proactive cooperation among students, employers, and universities. As a result, this helps create favourable conditions for the development of the regional economy through the consistent training of future specialists in accordance with market needs.
Such events for young people are organised by the 'Smart People' business school and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, with funding from the Swedish government as part of the Enhanced Partnership for Sustainable Recovery (EPSR) project. Additional support comes from the Rivne Regional Military Administration and Verallia Ukraine. The Smart Challenge Business Case Solving Championship was also organised with funding from the Swedish government, the Rivne Regional Military Administration, and Verallia Ukraine.
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