Community Consultants Course a Reality Experience

Community Consultants is a new course offered to top students in the advanced three-year Marketing diploma program and Marketing Management graduate program. Students earn credits for providing consulting services to businesses in London and surrounding area.

Students enrolled in the Community Consultants course offer multiple services to local businesses including comprehensive marketing plans, communication plans, market research, search engine and web marketing plans, new product launching and new media plans. Along with specified services, students provide full case analysis, a PowerPoint presentation and full methodology to clients they consult for.

The course is dual-purpose: it exposes business students to real-world situations and provides hands-on experience, numerous networking opportunities and connections to local businesses that will further employment possibilities post-graduation. Simultaneously, local businesses benefit from a team of consultants, guided by experienced faculty advisors, who are dedicated to resolving their business challenges.

Those interested in taking the course apply by interview. Twelve students become consultants, although extensive consulting is continuously undertaken by Fanshawe business students over the course of their studies. Faculty members select two businesses based on specific requirements that include suitability to the curriculum and current economic conditions.

The course was first offered in the Winter 2008 semester. Students worked with 3M Canada and Raigatta Energy conducting market research and competitive analysis. In subsequent years, the Community Consultants course will be offered to students in both fall and winter semesters.