Challenges and Skills in Graduate Programs

This report discusses the challenges and tasks given to students in graduate programs to test their skills and knowledge. It explores challenges like the T-Shirt Challenge, Tesco Presentation Challenge, and Apprentice Challenge. The report also focuses on the skills acquired through these challenges, such as communication skills, business skills, and teamwork skills. It assesses the challenges from a business angle and provides an action plan for personal development.

The Graduate
Challenge

Executive Summary
The report details about the the challenges/ Tasks/ Assignments given to the students of the
universities and colleges so as to test their skills and knowledge in order to elaborate the same in
the near future. Various challenges are discusses in the report and the ways the former help to
build the learning and skills of the individuals enrolled in the specific programs in the institution.
The report also comprises of action plans to be followed in the future run so as to achieve
greater results in the respective work field of the student.

Table of Contents
Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................4
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................4
CHALLENGES...............................................................................................................................4
T-Shirt Challenge ..................................................................................................................4
Tesco Presentation Challenge ................................................................................................4
Apprentice Challenge ............................................................................................................5
SKILLS ...........................................................................................................................................5
Communication skills ............................................................................................................5
Business Skills .......................................................................................................................5
Teamwork Skills ....................................................................................................................6
ASSESSMENT OF CHALLENGES FROM A BUSINESS ANGLE ...........................................6
ACTION PLAN...............................................................................................................................7
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9
Books and Journal .................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Graduate challenge can be characterized as one of the advanced and creative challenges
developed by various universities so as to enhance the basic cognitive learning , knowledge and
skills of their students by providing them much needed opportunities for growth and
improvement. The report discusses about the innovative challenges provided to the students such
as T-shirt challenge, Apprentice challenge, Presentation challenge etc. in order to test the
competencies and capabilities of the students to effectively and efficiently attempt the same. The
report also incorporates respective skills that the students have acquired by participating in these
challenges (Emblen-Perry, Nichol and Ross, 2020). It also includes a development of action plan
that will assist the student in further enhancement of their skills.
MAIN BODY
CHALLENGES
T-Shirt Challenge
It is an innovative challenge in which the university students were expected to design a creative
and an attractive logo for a T-shirt that is going to be promoted in the market by the same so as
to create awareness about the product and enhance the sale of T-shirt in the market environment.
In order to do the same, we needed to incorporate the current trends and preferences of the
consumers in the marketplace in or to gain a perspective about the choices and tastes of
consumers and design the T-shirt in accordance to the same. A rigid budget was assigned to us
and we had to carry out our activities within the limited budget itself. The respective opportunity
helped me to understand the current market scenario and the consumer buying behaviour as well.
It helped to enhance my teamwork skills and motivated me to work effectively and productively
in the teams. It built my confidence and helped to share my opinions without any hesitation
among my group members.
Tesco Presentation Challenge
I was assigned a group presentation challenge wherein I was supposed to give a presentation
about the global enterprise i.e. Tesco. Preparing a presentation requires a lot of information
research about the company and the current position and strategies of the company in the
marketplace. Also, Tin order to create an impact through the presentation it is very essential to

design the presentation in an attractive manner so as to capture the attention and interest of the
audience. Relevant and attention grabbing fonts and images needs to be included in the
presentation to enhance the concentration of the audience towards the presentation. In order to
coordinate in groups it is essential to carry out effective communication within the same.
Apprentice Challenge
It was a challenge wherein the students were told to form a presentation about their program in
London school of Science and Technology and provide essential information about their
experience in the same. The presentation is supposed to be informative and interesting (Trout
and Alsandor, 2020). This challenge gave me a learning insight about about how the
management department work in the college and the ways in which their functioning can be
enhanced so as to make the respective program more effective and productive. This challenge
provided a lot of scope to learn and gather relevant information about my experience and journey
in college and the ways it helped to shape my overall personality.
SKILLS
Communication skills
These above mentioned tasks and challenges provided assistance to me in understanding the
communication process that needs to be followed while working in the groups. It taught me the
communication model that needs to be incorporated by the individuals in order to enhance the
communication in the teams. The sender of the message needs to transfer relevant information
through the desired communication method (French and Bruckman, 2020). The receiver should
be intelligent enough to interpret the message effectively and to provide necessary feedback
related to the same. LSST presentation helped me to be more specific and practical with my
opinions and communicate in alignment to the same. Tesco presentation enhanced my speaking
as well as listening capabilities and helped me to exhibit more patience while communicating
with my peers. T- shirt challenged provided me with the opportunity to be more opinionated and
outspoken as well as it helped me to put my viewpoints across the masses confidently.
Business Skills
These challenges helped to acquire necessary business skills which in turn assisted me in
examining and analysing the market conditions and to formulate the strategies to manipulate the
same. The T-shirt challenge helped me to formulate strategical plans so as to market the T-shirts

among the target consumers. The Presentation challenge helped me to get an idea about how to
prepare and effective deliver important business presentations in order to influence the audience
to connect to the same. The LSST presentation helped me to determine the ways in which we can
approach a department and try to raise the standard of the same.
Teamwork Skills
The graduate challenges enhanced by performance while working in teams and groups. For
instance, the T-Shirt challenge gave me an exposure to learn about coordination and cooperation
within the team members. In Presentation challenge and LSST presentation we incorporated
Tuckman's Theory for formation and assigning of roles in the group and it helped me to better
my understanding of the journey from formation to adjourning from the group (Jaekel, 2020). It
also helped me to gain a better perspective about the emotional intelligence and why is it
necessary to incorporate the same in an individual's personality.
ASSESSMENT OF CHALLENGES FROM A BUSINESS ANGLE
T-Shirt Challenge
The T-shirt challenge has enabled to me to create brand value and designing innovative
promotion tactics in order to raise awareness about the products and services in the marketplace.
It has helped me to plan a budget and work within the same effectively so as to carry out the
operations of the organisation efficiently. It has helped me to gain knowledge about the
marketing concept and the ways a company can enhance their marketing and promotion
strategies so as to benefit the business in the future run.
Presentation Challenge
The presentation challenge has taught me to efficaciously express my thoughts and opinions
among wider audience. I have gained knowledge about how to prepare informative business
presentations and the factors that needs to be taken care of while delivering the same in front of
peers and team members. I can utilise the presentation making skills while delivery important
presentation at my future workplace.
Apprentice Challenge
It provided assistance me in interpreting the components and elements required for operating a
program or an institution and the needful strategies that can be incorporate in the same in order
to further modify its operations. I can apply the same concept and learning while working in a

organisation by analysing the enterprise and implementing modification wherever any deviation
is found.
ACTION PLAN
The formulation of a particular action plan is necessary for an individual in order to set various
goals that needs to be accomplishes by the same within a time duration (McChlery, 2019). It is
expected that an action plan needs to be specific and relevant. It is prominent that the action plan
is measurable so as to determine the result and outcome of the same. Here is my action plan for
the upcoming three years :-
Skills Purpose Development Time duration
Time Mangement
Skills
It is very important
to build time
managemnt skills as
it faciliates an
individual in meeting
the predetermined
deadlines with
efficiency (Oguro and
Mueller, 2020).
In order to enhance
my time management
ability , I will be
enrolling myself in
test and tasks that
needs to be
compeleted in a
predetermined time
limit.
3 months
Business Skills These skills are vital
as they help an
individual to systain
in the dynamic
condition and
scenarios of the
market environment
and handle the same
effectively and
patiently.
I am planning to
intern in good
organisation so as to
get an insight on how
the organisations
work and what
competencies needs
to be acquired in
order to survive in
the same.
6 months
Communication
Skills
Communication skills
are essential as they
play a major role in
I will be attending
lectures and seminars
in order to get
3 months

enhancing the
personality of an
individual and better
its interaction
capabilities(Petersen,
2020).
effective tips on how
to enhance my
communication.
CONCLUSION
The challenges formulated by the universities facilitates the students to deepen their
understanding about social as well as interaction skills. The major aim of these challenges is to
educate students about the real life business situations and train them to effectively cope up with
the same. For instance, T- Shirt task, Apprentice challenge and Presentation challenge helped
me to determine necessary skills that are required to work effectively in the real business
environment and the following ways in which they can acquired. In trained me to work in
uncertain and problematic domains and prepared me fight and combat the same with full
conviction. All the above mentioned tasks have helped the students build various effective skills
that can be capitalised by the students in order to enhance their future career plan.

REFERENCES
Books and Journal
Emblen-Perry, K., Nichol, L. and Ross, C., 2020. Does commuting to university influence
students’ personal and professional development and the likelihood of graduate level
employment?. The International Journal of Professional Management.
French, R.H. and Bruckman, L.S., 2020. Learnings from developing an applied data science
curricula for undergraduate and graduate students. MRS Advances, 5(7), pp.347-353.
Jaekel, K.S., 2020. Benefits and Challenges: Implementing E-Portfolios in a Graduate Student
Affairs Preparation Program. College Student Affairs Journal, 38(2), pp.172-185.
McChlery, S., 2019. Challenges in the implementation of a new course on aboriginal history,
health, wellness and culture in a graduate diploma of midwifery program. Women and
Birth, 32, p.S39.
Oguro, S. and Mueller, B., 2020. Learning abroad and graduate employability: challenges
articulating international learning outcomes. Research and Development in Higher
Education: Next generation, Higher Education: Challenges, Changes and Opportunities.
Petersen, K., 2020. A Transformational Graduate Program: Mines and NREL Join Forces To
Shape the Future of Energy (No. NREL/BR-6A42-71801). National Renewable Energy
Lab.(NREL), Golden, CO (United States).
Trout, I.Y. and Alsandor, D.J., 2020. Graduate student well-being: Learning and living in the US
during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Perspectives
in Higher Education, 5(1), pp.150-155.