The agreement is to provide final year marketing student’s practical training in selling and sales management. Mr E. Opoku, Head of Department, Marketing said the collaboration was to help students gain work experience in the financial service sector, earn uncapped income, build network, and capacity in the insurance sector, carrier opportunities in the insurance industry and an opportunity for growth and development.

He said it would also produce skilful manpower to the competitive demands of the job market, serve as a centre for theoretical and practical or hands on experience and training as well as career development, and an avenue for job opportunity, for the university.

Mr Opoku said the agreement also sought to increase the company’s market share.

He said the company considered the collaboration as Corporate Social Responsibility mandate to build the capacity of potential employees for corporate growth and sustainability.

He said as part of the MOU the University would post all Level 300 marketing students to Enterprise Life Assurance every year as part of the programme.He said Enterprise Life would make sure that all the students were assigned to Enterprise Life Assurance’s Branches in Accra and various branches and Sales Managers for the industrial training.

He noted that it was the responsibility of the University to provide the students yearly, monitor students’ progress through their performance sheets and give regular feedback on the collaboration for its improvement.

Mr Opoku further stated that students would be assessed by Branch and Sale Managers in collaboration with the course Lecturer, using product knowledge, accepted or incepted cases, sales presentation skills, prospecting skills and innovation and grooming as parameters.

He also said, as part of the agreement, Enterprise Life Assurance was to organize monthly training or team meeting, pay student monthly commission, offer field support, offer employment opportunity where possible, and provide award package for best performed students.

He said the Student Marketing Executives would also be insured whilst on the field.

He urged students to avail themselves for field activities, adhere to the company and the universities rules and regulations and maximize the opportunity to gain the necessary employable skills.

Mrs Jacqueline Benyi, Executive Director of Enterprise Life, said the Enterprise brand’s focus for their corporate social responsibility initiative was driven by the desire to join hands with other like-minded people, organizations and the government to invest in not just in the future but now.

She said the partnership, was a key requirement towards the graduation of marketing students, saying they believe that investment made in the life of the students would impact on society in more ways than expected.She said the partnership seeks to deepen institutional collaboration as part of their corporate social responsibility, support the University’s effort at bridging the gap between academia and industry and expose and open up career opportunities in sales for the students during and after school.

The partnership also seeks to complement the company’s manpower resources, and to introduce the concept of insurance to new segments of the employable human capital of the country.

It would also serve as means to expand the current sources of recruitment for sales agents and improve the quality of the promotion of life insurance policies through the use of the University students.

Mrs Benyi noted that the collaboration between industry and the academic world has always been important, and there was the need for the convergence of the two positions before the mutual benefits could be reaped. She said with this collaboration the students have the opportunity to practicalize the theories they learnt, work with the company, and meet and network with great minds, whilst appreciating the challenges of sales and marketing.

She urged them to take advantage of this to learn new things and challenge their class discussions, contribute to build the brand of the University and Enterprise Life and excel in their academic work as well as their career.