What is 'Changemaker Challenge'?
The Changemaker Challenge provides a platform for students to engage with employers and organisations, and transform their passion for change into tangible action. Students develop essential skills, commercial awareness and create lasting impact on the world around them.
The Changemaker Challenge, now in it's third year of running, has seen an additional 80 students participate in the programme, taking the total to nearly 600 active participants. For a detailed breakdown of how the Challenges work, benefits, toolkit etc please see our 2023/24 & 2024/25 report.
Challenges we have run this year:
One day Changemaker Challenge
Full day event, ideally aimed at a cohort of under 50, can be adjusted accordingly.
Can be linked to assessment, for example a reflective report based on the Changemaker Challenge experience, to be submitted at a later date.
46 level 4 international Business students attended.
Employer: The Padded Seat
Challenge set: Choose one of the following vertical solutions:
- Ticketing Aggregation
- Prize Competitions for the UK audience
- Awards for B2B profiles
Plan steps to achieve a goal that fits that market segment well (within 12 months). Include in your pitch why you believe we should prioritise this solution
OR alternatively, if you're feeling creative, can you think of other vertical solutions to explore?
Impact:
The impact measures below all increased between the beginning and end of the session:
- Feelings of positivity and inspiration increased
- Confidence in making business focused decisions increased
- Confidence in coming up with new ideas and solutions increased
Feedback from employer: "I thoroughly enjoyed the day and have come away with actionable ideas. I really appreciated this fresh approach."
18 level 7 Aquatic Biology students attended.
Employer: Jacobs - Environmental Consultancy
Challenge set: Identify alternative/novel/innovative methods of environmental data collection or analysis.
Impact:
The impact measures below all increased between the beginning and end of the session:
- Feelings of positivity and inspiration increased by 6%
- Confidence in making business focused decisions increased by 24%
- Confidence in coming up with new ideas and solutions increased by 24%
Feedback from employer: "Sixteen students, four hours, no commercial context, and they handed me product ideas sharper than anything my own team has produced in months. That tells me two things. You picked good people. And the format works."
Within Curriculum - Couple of hours
A couple of hours - these can be split. No live brief. Use examples we have or create own brief.
Focus on idea generation and presentation
6 students attended.
3 hours hours in total (2 hours for context, idea generation & presentation preparation, 1 hour for presentations).
Conclusion
As the Changemaker Challenge enters it's third year, it continues to develop in response to participant, employer and academic feedback. It's adaptable format provides students with valuable opportunities to build skills, apply their learning in real-world contexts and grow in confidence.
Employers continue to recognise the value of the Challenge, particularly the fresh perspectives, creativity and innovative solutions that participants bring. Experience has shown that, creativity and innovative solutions that participants bring. Experience has shown that embedding the Challenge within academic programmes delivers the greatest impact, creating meaningful connections between curriculum learning and employability development.
See previous 'Changemaker Challenge' Reports here!
All the information from this years report and much more can be found below.
