On Friday, 26 August, Capital W held their annual High School Workshop at the UNSW CBD Campus. Thirty eager female high school students from Years 11 and 12 attended the event. The day began with an address from UNSW Business School representatives outlining the various degrees that are offered at the Business School, which was then followed by an address from our Co-President, Ashley Chen, who introduced Capital W and outlined the activities for the day.
The students were then split up into teams, where they tackled either a finance or marketing case study, and were mentored by Capital W representatives. The finance teams were tasked with analysing and formulating strategic advice on Microsoft’s acquisition of LinkedIn. In contract, the marketing teams’ goal was to create an innovative marketing strategy for Vogue Australia that accounts for the impact of today’s digital age.
At lunchtime, the students were joined by representatives from six of Capital W’s sponsors. This was their opportunity to obtain first-hand information about these prestigious firms and gain a head start in building their network! After lunch, the representatives rotated among the student groups to share their tips from their extensive experience making presentations in the workplace and help the students perfect their presentations.
Following this was the culmination of a day’s effort: the case presentations. Each group was allocated five minutes to present a comprehensive analysis of their case and propose a final strategy to the panel of judges, that is the sponsor representatives. After an intensive deliberation, the sponsor representatives awarded the team with the most detailed and practical strategy first place! The winners each received a laptop bag full of UNSW Business School merchandise. However, all participants benefited from the feedback the sponsors communicated about their presentations and the rare opportunity to gain an insight into the world of finance/marketing while still in high school!
To wrap up the day, a panel discussion was held with the sponsor representatives, where students asked all their burning questions about the corporate world. The panel passionately reflected on their experiences as women in the workforce, commenting on a variety of issues related to overcoming gender disparity. Furthermore, they shared workplace initiatives that have been put in place to overcome this, such as setting targets for women in managerial positions and flexible work options.
Overall, it was a hugely successful and enjoyable event for all that attended. It was truly humbling to see that students had travelled all the way from places outside of the Sydney Metro area, such as Newcastle and the Central Coast, to attend the event. A huge thank you must be extended to UNSW Business School for partnering with Capital W to make this event possible. Lastly, thank you to Capital W’s sponsors for supporting the high school students and championing Capital W’s mission to motivate the talented women of today to become future business leaders.