UNB Program Helps Newcomers Integrate Into Business Community
The University of New Brunswick’s Faculty of Management is the best first place for newcomers to integrate as smoothly as possible into the province’s business community, says Cindy Chau Nguyen, a UNB graduate and entrepreneur working with the university’s Strategic Communications and Marketing Office.
Nguyen is an enthusiastic advocate for UNB’s experiential learning approach to teaching business.
She credits UNB’s Faculty of Management for helping her build a versatile skillset that’s as valuable in the job market as it was in the classroom.
“During my studies, I had the chance to work with real companies in my courses, through experiential learning,” Nguyen says.
Her time studying with the Faculty of Management saw her work on everything from presentations to softer business skills associated with the nuances of corporate communication.
With the opportunity to work alongside startups and local companies, solving real-world business problems, Nguyen said experiential learning was the perfect complement to her classroom-based learning.
“It’s great. I learned a lot, the knowledge we received is not theoretical,” she says.
Nguyen was a UNB pathway transfer student coming from one of Vietnam’s top business schools, the Foreign Trade University, and says, “the blend of academics and hands-on experience in UNB’s experiential learning helped her acclimate to the business world of New Brunswick”.
UNB has a long-standing pathway partnership with FTU and is encouraged to see many current FTU students following Nguyen’s accomplishments and example toward post-graduation professional employment in New Brunswick.
“I was an international student and was new to the culture, language and different learning environment. I learned a lot about culture because it can be a big problem when it comes to doing business with cultural differences,” says Nguyen.
“There is a huge difference between the culture where I came from and Canada, but I found that being a student, it was a good opportunity to make good friends, through group work and classes.”
Nguyen says the professors were approachable, helpful and friendly.
“I could get help whenever I needed to,” she says.
The Faculty of Management has helped Nguyen build a foundation of solid time-management skills – indispensable in the business world.
“We have to really enhance our time management skills with a busy school schedule, and with projects with the courses.”
That was in addition to the communication and work skills she gained along the way through coursework and collaborative assignments on which she was asked to work with fellow students.
Nguyen started her role with UNB’s Strategic Communications & Marketing office after graduating and says the kinds of problems she tackled while studying with the Faculty of Management were the same ones she handles on a day-to-day basis as a professional.
“That was very amazing. Before my graduation, I got the job following the work-study program at UNB,” she says.
“The projects I work on now are the same as the ones that I’ve done in the courses of my business program.”
This story was sponsored by the UNB Faculty of Management.