Universities are typically filled with quiet lecture halls and textbooks, but an extracurricular program at the University of Technology Sydney is turning traditional tertiary education on its head.
It’s called The Hatchery and it’s teaching students how to think like an entrepreneur.
Hatchery Program Manager, Tida Tippapart, says today’s workforce is incredibly different to what it was 10 years ago.
“Students and young graduates these days need so many more skill sets,” she said.
Rather than being taught facts and figures, students are instilled with practical business skills like problem-solving, prototyping and design skills.
Hatchery Program Manager, Tida Tippapart. Source: SBS
Over 10 weeks, they create their own business idea from scratch, and at the end of the program, present their business proposals to a panel of industry professionals who critique their work.
Matthew Sayer was one of the judges and works for a company called Ribit that aims to link students and recent graduates with small to medium sized businesses.
“There are so many things that students just aren't taught, that when they get into the work environment, or when they graduate, they expect that they know everything but they actually don't,” he said.
“They are learning all of these skills but they are not becoming as relevant as they should be so programs like the Hatchery are teaching them a new way of thinking.”
In response to changing requirements from employers, universities across the country are implementing similar startup incubator programs.
Students who are a part of the Hatchery will learn practical, real-world business skills. Source: SBS
There is the Michael Crouch Innovation Centre at UNSW, and INCUBATE at the University of Sydney and Monash University.
However, questions remain over whether entrepreneurship can be taught.
Annette McClelland is a graduate from UTS and went through the Hatchery program, after learning skills to start a business, she went out and did just that.
“I'd never considered being an entrepreneur before I did Hatchery, both my parents started their own successful businesses but I'd never considered it myself,” she said.
UTS graduate and founder of drone company Tekuma, Annette McClelland. Source: SBS
Today she is the founder of a successful drone business called Tekuma.
“My life completely changed through Hatchery … It certainly led to my current work,” she said.
“Hatchery introduced me to a bunch of like minded people in the startup ecosystem.”
The modern workforce is constantly shifting, but what is certain, is that there's a new generation of entrepreneurs ready to take on the challenge.
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