Upgraded courses and better programs
“The Millénium Québecor program, which will be rolled out over the next few months and the coming years, has three distinct but interlocking components: entrepreneurship awareness, training, and coaching for start-ups,” explained Chantal Pharand, UdeM's assistant vice-rector of student and academic affairs.
The first step will be outreach to make students and research teams aware that their academic skills could be useful in business or in the community. These efforts will also target cégeps and high schools.
On the training front, UdeM's current courses on entrepreneurship will be upgraded and offered across the university's 13 faculties and schools. The university will also develop more comprehensive programs, such as a minor in entrepreneurship that could be combined with a major or any other undergraduate or graduate program.
“For example, music students looking towards a career might want to supplement a major in music with a minor in entrepreneurship, or pharmacy graduates might want to acquire the knowledge required to operate their own pharmacy,” said Yves Joanette, UdeM's assistant vice-rector of research.
Lastly, the Millénium Québecor program will help businesses start up and scale up through financial assistance “and most importantly through mentoring by our graduates, who together possess a wealth of experience and knowledge they can share via entrepreneurship clubs or networking with other established companies across Quebec,” said Pharand.
