With back to school, we tend to see a great many stories aimed either at parents, children or youth, or about adult continuing education. What these articles overlook, however, is post-secondary students and the opportunities available to them to develop important skills and key networks. One such opportunity is the EDGE Business Competition, mounted by the Alberta School of Business at the University of Alberta.
EDGE is an annual business competition that invites students to participate in an interactive and multi-disciplinary case competition. It not only encourages undergraduate extracurricular participation, but it also fosters interaction among students and business professionals.
As an Alberta-based competition, EDGE aims to simulate innovation and collaboration with various sectors to grow the provincial economy. Partners such as the Alberta Motor Association, KPMG, Konica Minolta and others have an opportunity to network with students interested in their particular industry. Student teams participate in a complex business simulation based on a theme relevant to the Alberta business community.
Delegates have an opportunity to test their skills, expand their learning beyond the classroom, and showcase their leadership, problem solving and decision-making abilities. A number of challenges test participants in such areas as accounting, finance, marketing and public relations.
Because EDGE takes place in real time, teams must work together, think critically, react quickly to changes, perform under time pressure and make marginal decisions—all in an effort to prove they have the edge over really tough competition.
A realistic business simulation, the case competition is open to post-secondary students enrolled at Canada’s top business schools, including
· SAIT
· University of Alberta
· University of Lethbridge
· University of Saskatchewan
· JR Shaw School of Business, NAIT
· Rotman Commerce, University of Toronto
These and other schools’ participation and collaboration has helped develop strong relationships with other Canadian learning institutions. For instance, during the first EDGE competition in 2011, competitors analyzed alternatives for construction and operation of a new arena complex for Edmonton. Teams included participants from MacEwan, Brock, McGill, Dalhousie, the University of Calgary, the University of Lethbridge, and the host and sponsor, the University of Alberta.
Since its inception, EDGE has helped maintain and raise the profile of the Alberta School of Business and University of Alberta. In sum, it develops Alberta’s future business leaders today.
To learn more about the EDGE business competition, edge-uofa.com.
