Students attend international summer school

Hosted by Symbiosis International University in Pune (India) for the second time, this program provided 19 business students with a platform for an enriching cultural experience during June/July 2023. 

The 14-day program supported by two members of the Leeds based academic team, Dr Sukky Jassi and Lekha Bodhe commenced with the G20 Conference in Pune. It focused on the ‘transformative role of universities’, bringing together senior academics and educational leaders from the G20 countries. This was a rare and unique opportunity for both our academics and students to contribute and deliberate on educational aspirations of HEIs to make a positive impact on society. 

Cultural experiences such as a Heritage walk visiting local industries, traditional businesses and a historical tour of Pune was supplemented with folk-arts workshops and practical sessions about regional performing-arts aided cultural immersion. Students were able to support a Community Outreach program SCOPE that delivers Digital Literacy in rural areas.  A visit to a local village Rihe involved our students contributing to the delivery of various activities such as digital skills, art and football. During this village visit, students also learned about rural health and educational infrastructure.

The importance of entrepreneurship and government support available for business start-ups was emphasised throughout many aspects of the summer school programme. Our students were able to witness first-hand how conceptual ideas have been transformed into successful business models at the Symbiosis Technology Business Incubator (SCEI). Several start-ups based at SCEI are integrating sustainable concepts into their business practices, and many are supported by the Women’s Entrepreneurship Research Alliance (WERA). An industry visit to VAAYU was also incorporated into the busy schedule, where students witnessed food waste being converted into biogas (an alternative to fossil fuels).  

In week two of the program, our LBS academic Dr Sukky Jassi (Course Director for International Business) delivered a Guest Lecture about Smart Technology and Business for students at two separate institutes (Symbiosis Centre for Management Studies and the Symbiosis Institute of International Business). Specifically addressing the food packaging and fashion industries, Sukky talked about the importance of smart technology for all businesses today to remain competitive. In parallel to this, our students attended a number of lectures delivered by various faculties at Symbiosis about India’s economic and financial systems, culture, social hierarchies and agricultural challenges. 

With assigned buddies from the host institution, our students engaged themselves in the culture visiting local neighbourhoods, temples, trying new food and enjoying leisure activities. Summer School concluded with presentations from our students to highlight and summarise what they learnt and how it impacts on business in India, drawing on comparisons with the UK.   The day ended with a heart-warming farewell from our host! 


 We look forward to offering more practical opportunities for our students to develop their employability skills, through learning about the diversity of business cultures across the world.