Why NOW is a great time to complete a Higher Nationals in Business

By Programme Leader Mr Naweed Riaz

There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant effect on business.  It required companies to ‘think outside the box’, ‘trade differently’, and be ‘creative’.  As a Higher National centre, The City College met the challenge of ‘business as usual’, supporting our students to adapt to joining classes from home and continuing to work as normal.

In addition, we encouraged students to use the crisis to think of ‘Leading Change Projects’ for specific modules.

These ranged from ‘missing paper slips in the office’, by sending password-protected payslips via email to Community Meetings on Zoom and thinking of new ways of delivering products and services to customers homes.

Other units such as human resources involved discussing issues of ‘mental health’ and ‘well-being, and investigating how business entrepreneurs could survive, change and profit.  Suddenly the 7 P’s, place and process became the concepts to understand.

When your customers are staying at home, how should your business meet that challenge?

What processes need to change in-store to be safe for customers?

How could you as a business ‘add value’ to your customers, society and their local community?

Restaurants turned into delivery services to food banks and hospital staff.

Fashion clothes manufacturers become Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) manufacturers.

And communities starting meeting online.

Being a student on the Business course can develop your skills, knowledge, and understanding of new techniques used to rise in crisis management challenges.

To come up with new ways of doing business, engage with staff and customers and to continue to survive and make profit.

There were some winners and losers during COVID-19, and having a qualification will develop your business skills for a ‘changing world’ that we all find ourselves in.

If you are looking for a business career, think about signing up for a Higher National in Business.