TSPU Students Develop at StartTEX: First Step into Business Training
Tomsk State Pedagogical University continues to implement the federal project "University Technological Entrepreneurship Platform." A new milestone in this initiative was the "StartTEX: First Step into Business" training, organized by the university's Business Incubator. First-year students from the Faculty of Technology and Economics (FTE), the Institute of Foreign Languages and International Cooperation (IFLIC), and the Faculty of Psychology and Special Education (FPSE) participated in the event.
The training was conducted by Tatiana Semenovna and Olga Semenovna Selevich, associate professors at the TPU Business School and experts in educational programs on economics and entrepreneurship. During six hours of intensive work, students learned how to identify the need for team members based on the analysis of competencies necessary for solving startup problems; distribute functional and personal roles within the team; determine formulas that reduce communication effectiveness; justify their point of view; negotiate and build an effective communication network within the team; apply a startup business model; distinguish fact from opinion; critically evaluate information; formulate a viewpoint and present results in a pitch format; and negotiate with investors.
"Entrepreneurial competency training is just the beginning, — noted Galina Vladislavovna Arisheva, Director of the TSPU Business Incubator. — Within the framework of the 'University Technological Entrepreneurship Platform students can receive free training in technological entrepreneurship, participate in an acceleration program, intern at university startup studios, launch their projects, and obtain expert evaluations and funding for their implementation."
At the end of the training, six student teams presented their projects: a student cafe near the university, navigator glasses, a mobile app for developing soft skills to be used at TSPU's newly opened Competency Center, an app called "We All Dream of Life" for job-seeking students, a navigator with an integrated earphone, and more.
"Through a large number of activities, we try to put the students in situations where they can understand if they are interested in working along the path of forming technological startups. If we manage to engage the students, they have the opportunity to further develop their business idea, enter accelerators, and receive grants and mentoring support, — said Tatiana Selevich. —The students at TSPU take all tasks very seriously, work wonderfully and are fully engaged".
In conclusion, students expressed their interest in continuing to participate in university events that allow them to develop entrepreneurial skills, participate in unique educational programs, meet experts and colleagues with experience, and create their business projects with the prospect of launching them. All these stages and more will be available to participants of the TSPU Acceleration Program "ProjectUM," which will begin in September.