Victoria’s best and brightest university student innovators have teamed with industry experts and small businesses to solve the next generation of business challenges.
The small teams of students and businesses and industry leaders collaborated to find new ways to grow, attract talent and cut costs for the last of five Innovation Games days held by the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA).
Co-funded by the Andrews Labor Government and industry, the games are part of a push to use innovation to bridge the gap between study and employment, and help small businesses grow now and into the future.
The games have already connected more than 300 university students, 55 small businesses and 200 industry representatives from across metropolitan and regional Victoria.
Victoria has Australia’s largest share of higher education ICT course enrolments with more than 28,000 students choosing to study in the state in 2017.
The Labor Government is also supporting Victoria’s culture of innovation with events and initiatives like SummerTech LIVE, the Digital Innovation Festival, PauseFest and the national iAwards.
With more than 600,000 small businesses in Victoria, representing around 98 per cent of the state’s businesses, programs like the the COSBOA Innovation Games play an important role in getting businesses future ready.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Jobs, Innovation and Trade Martin Pakula
“We’re proud to be supporting our brightest young innovators to use their skills and expertise to help businesses grow, boost the economy and ultimately create more jobs.”
“This is an excellent opportunity for university students and graduates to connect with small business and industry, show off what they can do and hopefully go on to future employment.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020