According to a similar model implemented in the Netherlands, Connect IT is a program currently developing the pilot phase in Albania. The program’s main goal is to help MSMEs in Tirana and other parts of Albania innovate in the digital sphere by connecting the brightest IT students with the entrepreneurs and working together!
These student teams are cooperating in finding innovative solutions for companies. The duration of the project is flexible: it depends on the complexity of the challenge, the availability of student teams, and the deadline of the participating company. Assignments are carried out by the student teams and supervised by lecturers and professional experts.
In specific and quantified terms, this comes down to the following goals for the duration of the project (1 year):
1. Create awareness and educate Albanian MSMEs about the opportunities and benefits of digitalization (e.g. cost reductions, market growth via digitization)
2. Solve 50 identified challenges —improve existing business models/operations— of selected Albanian MSMEs through digital solutions developed by IT students
3. Support Albanian IT students to set up a student-consultancy project/entity that enables them to work for local businesses as IT consultants (as a side-job).
What was the challenge?
Connect IT brings together MSME entrepreneurs and tech students to help entrepreneurs with the digitization of their company in the day-to-day business. Technical and IT students carry out hands-on IT projects for the entrepreneurs in teams (digital sprints). The sprints last an average of 8 to 12 weeks and focus, among other things, on data use for improving business processes, website building, online marketing, cybersecurity, and Artificial Intelligence. In addition, Connect IT provides entrepreneurs with more insight into the possibilities of digitization through masterclasses and expert sessions. By bringing students, professors and entrepreneurs together, Connect IT aims to improve the connection between educational institutions and MSMEs.
The result for the participating entrepreneurs is:
1) their operating results improve
2) they can adapt to the rapidly changing market
3) potentially they can employ the student after implementing the solution
Participating students get more experience with working in MSMEs, have a better understanding of their capacities, and learn new skills during the whole process.
What is the solution?
Currently, Connect IT is working with 11 very well-known companies in Albania and 17 student teams of the Canadian Institute of Technology, Epoka University, Polis University, and the Faculty of Economics at the University of Tirana. The 76 students from the universities mentioned above communicate continuously by holding physical and online meetings with the companies for which they are working on a challenge. By the end of June, will be held the graduation of the first 4 teams that are working for Cheer Chews, Gral Medical, and Le Bon in building websites and/or web shop-s.
For the third-year Bachelor or second-year Master students, participation and successful completion of the project is part of the internship experience included in their curriculum, before graduation.
Within the project, students who have shown a high commitment and interest in the project are allowed to set up an entity called Student Inc. that enables them to work for local businesses as IT consultants (as a side-job). This is the most attractive element but also the greatest achievement from this project so far.
The company has just been established and students are looking for the first businesses that will seek their services in the digital transformation area. Unique about this project is the fact that once these students graduate, they will sell the shares to the students of the following years and also will share with them the experience and assistance so that the company is stable and utilitarian.
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