QMYOU Alumni Magazine Issue 75 | Page 19

Scotland’s first three-year honours business degree S COTLAND’S FIRST CONDENSED Business Management honours degree programme is now being offered by QMU. The move will appeal to money conscious and ambitious undergraduates capable of undertaking higher workloads. The three-year BA (Hons) degree will start in September 2012. The course is open to all students and will be particularly attractive to Scottish students wishing to graduate faster and to those from outside Scotland who will save tuition fees. Whilst accelerated business management degree programmes are available in other Scottish universities, usually through entry at year two, QMU’s three-year degree will provide a unique package enabling undergraduates to benefit from the full learning experience by joining the full cohort in year one. The three year degree will have higher admissions criteria than its four year counterpart which QMU will continue to offer. The fast track students will undertake additional credits in each academic year. Commenting on the successful validation of its first three year honours degree QMU Principal, Professor Petra Wend, said; “This is a very exciting development that widens opportunities for students in an increasingly competitive business environment. Not only will they be able to enter the marketplace or take up postgraduate studies a year earlier, they will be able to enjoy the full student experience from day one instead of playing catch up which can happen for students joining accelerated courses in year two. There are also economic advantages. Importantly we have responded to demands for greater flexibility and options for learners outlined in the government’s post-16 education report.” The three year programme will operate in tandem with the four year version and will adhere to the standard university academic calendar. Students will have a dedicated intensive longitudinal induction programme, dedicated student handbook, tutorials and course work as well as special events for the cohort each semester. QMU to train International Ombudsman Institute Q MU HAS BEEN INVITED to provide a three-day training course for members of the International Ombudsman Institute in Vienna this autumn. This news builds on recent successes by QMU’s Consumer Insight Centre which has demonstrated its ability to secure a range of contracts to deliver complaints handing courses to various ombudsman organisations throughout the UK. The training package, to be delivered in Vienna, will cover complaint diagnosis and assessment; operating within legal frameworks; conflict and managing challenging behaviour; planning and carrying out effective investigations; gathering and managing evidence; investigative reasoning and effective interviewing; critical thinking and decision making; reaching and acting on reliable findings; making proportionate recommendations; effective communication; producing clear written documents and reporting persuasively. This contract, alongside other recent contracts with the African Ombudsman Offices and the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, will not only provide excellent knowledge exchange opportunities, but will strengthen QMU’s Consumer Insight Centre’s growing reputation for the delivery of high quality complaint handling courses. First Business Gateway to be based at Scottish University B USINESS GATEWAY East Lothian will have a new base at QMU. The service, which is geared towards providing advice and support to small business start-ups, will be managed by East Lothian Council but housed within QMU. This is the first time that a Business Gateway service has been located within a Scottish university. The partnership between the Council and QMU aims to be a one-stop-shop for East Lothian businesses, providing a business information service and free impartial advice and assistance, as well as free workshop and seminar opportunities to a variety of businesses. It is envisaged that the Business Gateway will be an invaluable resource to small business start-up companies but it also aims to go beyond that by providing a variety of support services for further developed organisations. Rosalyn Marshall, QMU’s Vice Principal (Resources and Development) said: “The new service will be easily accessible for all East Lothian businesses. It will also draw an increasing number of new business people to the University, whilst in addition, present outstanding opportunities for graduating students who wish to develop as entrepreneurs. It will also result in a growing awareness of the University’s specialist facilities and research expertise, which we hope will only add value to the Business Gateway offering.” QMYOU / Sustainable Business 19