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Follow Your Dreams Graduation

by Larissa Petryca, on 17 February 2022 13:37:45 CET

In December, PCU lecturers from the School of Business visited Unibail-Roadamco-Westfield’s (URW) Prague headquarters in Westfield Chodov to award Vocational Diplomas in Essential Business Skills to students at a special graduation ceremony.

The students had successfully completed URW’s ‘Follow Your Dreams - Jdi za svým snem’ CSR programme. The programme is devised to help develop employability skills for long-term unemployed and disadvantaged individuals. The students were a mix of school graduates, mothers on parental leave and long-term unemployed looking for new career opportunities.

Helping those seek employment

Prague City University’s School of Business faculty was selected by URW, the largest shopping centre group in the world, to develop and deliver URW’s programme.

Czech speaking lecturers from the School of Business taught all classes which took place at PCU’s Polska Campus and URW headquarters.

“I had the privilege to work with Unibail-Rodamco-Westfied coordinating their “Jdi za Svým Snem” project and I also lectured and conducted practical workshops for the students. It was a rewarding experience seeing them grow every day, gain confidence and emerge with a new motivation to succeed. For me, the biggest success was seeing the students trusting in themselves and believing that change is possible. The project designed for socially disadvantaged people aligns with the University’s core values, building on the principle of connectedness, inclusiveness and engagement with local communities.”
Lucie Rivera
Programme Co-ordinator & School of Business Programme Leader

One of the lecturers who delivered classes was MSc International Management student Marcelo Donaire who really enjoyed the teaching experience.

It made me realise that I want to pursue work in academia not only because of the research aspect, but also because I want to become a lecturer and a mentor. I am extremely grateful to have had that opportunity. It was immensely inspiring, fulfilling and meaningful to see the students make vast progression and to see them improve their understanding of the world around them. Seeing all that growth and knowing I am partly responsible for it was extremely rewarding.
Marcelo Donaire
MSc International Management student
Marcelo Donaire at Follow Your Dreams Graduation
Marcelo Donaire enjoyed the opportunity to teach students on the programme

Programme Content

URW have worked closely with their retail tenants over the years who shared that sales techniques and communication are the skills most often lacking in candidates.

Marek Kocak

The School of Business team delivered subjects covering communication and negotiation skills, sales techniques and processes, as well as effective customer services and retention. Subjects were taught using a combination of lectures and practical training exercises which culminated in students having to create and present professional presentations.

Marek Kocak, Stefano Cavagnetto and Lucie Rivera from the School of Business hear student presentations
Marek Kocak, Stefano Cavagnetto and Lucie Rivera from the School of Business hear student presentations
We couldn’t be happier and more proud of the project results, from the collaboration with PCU to the benefits that we created for all the participants. We can’t wait for the project to launch again in May 2022 and in the years to come!”
Zaruhi Harutyunyan
Senior HR Manager, URW Czech Republic & Slovakia
Zaruhi Harutyunyan at URW Graduation
Zaruhi Harutyunyan, Senior HR Manager at URW Czech Republic & Slovakia congratulates the graduates

Graduate Success

URW have helped to place some of the graduates into employment with retailers and corporate partners of Westfield Chodov and Centrum Černý Most. While other students have continued further studies, including one outstanding student who received a full scholarship from PCU, to study for her Foundation Diploma in Business.

One of my dreams already came true, to live in my beloved city Prague. The second dream was to find a stable job which fulfills me and in which I can fully realise myself. I felt I was at the right place at right time when I saw the Westfield Chodov advertisement as I was thinking a lot about my future career and wasn’t sure what to do. The programme helped me to achieve that. I was able to find a full time job and I even had the choice of two jobs choose from.
Jindriska Safkova
Vocational Diploma in Essential Business Skills Graduate

Continued Partnership & Scholarship Agreement

URW and PCU have agreed to continue their Follow Your Dreams partnership. The programme will launch again in May with a new group of students. In addition, URW and PCU have also agreed to co-sponsor a full scholarship at PCU’s School of Business for one outstanding student from the programme.

Visit the Follow Your Dreams website here to learn more about the programme.

Follow Your Dreams 2021
Topics:Industry NetworkProfessional PartnersSchool of Business

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