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Award-winning VU students prove the west is best for business

Victoria University’s (VU) team picked up two awards, including a Financial Literacy award presented by HSBC, at a National competition for budding entrepreneurs in Brisbane earlier this month, competing with 20 other Universities from around Australia.

It was VU’s first appearance at the annual competition run by Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), an international organisation dedicated to empowering students and communities through entrepreneurial education outreach projects.

"The VU students’ performance was very favourably compared with other universities that have a long history of involvement in SIFE," said Professor John Breen, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law at Victoria University.

The eight students in VU’s SIFE team won the HSBC award for a business regeneration project in the Western Region of Melbourne, which helped to increase financial literacy and general understanding of business practice, amongst local African businesses people in particular, and provoked considerable local media interest.

"We’re very proud of our students’ performance and the contribution of this real project in connecting us to the Western Region of Melbourne," said Professor Breen. "The students involved in the SIFE program have delivered a range of projects that have been of great value to the local community."

Earlier this year, the School of Accounting & Finance in the Faculty of Business & Law supported the development of a VU SIFE Team, with 20 Students from the Small Business & Entrepreneurship course establishing a VU SIFE club to develop projects in the Western Region.

In just 3 months the students completed three projects including: A Business regeneration project, An Immigration bridging project and an employment project. The students also conducted fundraising activities to support the projects.

"Given that this was the first time that VU students have been involved in SIFE, it was extremely pleasing to see the very positive feedback on their work," said Professor Breen.

Established in 1975 in the United States of America and active at over 2,000 campuses in 48 countries, SIFE aims to provide tertiary students with an opportunity to make a difference in their communities and to develop leadership, teamwork and communication skills.

Students are encouraged to learn, practise and teach the tenets of their academic discipline so as to enable others to participate more fully and effectively in the economic and social life of the nation.

Buoyed by their award at the National SIFE Competition, the VU team is keen to expand the program to involve students from other education disciplines and to develop further community projects in the western region of Melbourne.

The Faculty of Business & Law will be hosting a morning tea to congratulate the students and to look at rolling out this activity across the University.

Contact:	Daniel Walder
Phone:	+61 3 9919 1554
Email:	daniel.walder@vu.edu.au