UCD students are putting their business education to worthwhile use by teaming up with a number of local charities to complete valuable business projects.

UCD’s Service Learning Module encourages students to apply knowledge learned in the classroom to real-life work in the voluntary or not-for-profit sector. This year, students worked with organisations such as Blossom Ireland, CanTeen and the CF Hopesource Foundation on a diverse range of consultancy-style projects.

On completion of the module, the teams of students invited their client organisations to attend their final project presentations at UCD’s Quinn School of Business. Here the teams talked through their projects and the results they achieved, from developing a social media strategy to identifying new potential donors and target markets.

“Through the Service Learning module, students have the opportunity to see the real-world value of their education. The opportunity to help a local charity to achieve its business goals has a far greater impact than any case-study or textbook; and seeing their recommendations successfully implemented creates a real sense of achievement for all involved.” Kathy O’Reilly , UCD School of Business Service Learning Lecturer and Module Co-ordinator

UCD Quinn School students who worked with Blossom Ireland.

“Working with the students on this project has been a very positive and beneficial experience for Blossom Ireland. For an organisation as small as ours, having access to projects such as this from the UCD Quinn School offers us a chance to focus on areas of our business which we wouldn’t normally have a budget for. They showed enthusiasm and genuine interest in the work we do. Already we are seeing some of the benefits of their actions since this project began.” Auveen Bell, Co-Founder, Blossom Ireland