1. State Agricultural Institute, HOMALIN
How to organize a
Bizconnect Workshop
Thant Zin
(11.11.2020) 1
Knowledge Sharing

2. Outline
• What is Bizconnect?
• Company pitches
• Panel discussion
• Information market
• Speed dating
• Group discussions between companies &
teachers
• Evaluation
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3. What is Bizconnect?
• Bizonnnect is part of the Nuffic Niche 227 project,
organized with support of the Dutch Government
• In 2018-2019 six Bizconnect workshops were organized
at: Thayarwaddy, Pyinmana, Heho, Zwekapin, Shwebo
and Patheingyi
• Each workshop was attended by approximately 15 -20
agricultural companies from the region
• In total 1000 students have participated in the six
Bizconnect workshops
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4. Company pitches
• Companies give short presentations about their business: showing
their story, products and services, successes and history
• 10 min presentations
• 10 min Q&A
• Important for preparations:
➢ Grouping the students
➢ Room selection & set-up
➢ Room and company
➢ Electricity
➢ Laptop for presentation
➢ Projector
➢ Timekeeping
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5. Standard Instruction to Companies
• All companies will give a presentation of 10 minutes about their company in
one of the classrooms. After this, the staff and students present can ask you
questions. We will inform you about the time and location of your
presentation on the day itself.
• Prepare: A 10-minute presentation about:
• What does your company do?
• How and when did the company start?
• What makes you successful?
• What are your plans for the future?
• What opportunities are there for youth to work at your company?
• What do you expect from your employees in terms of skills and attitude?
• Please prepare a powerpoint presentation if possible and bring this to the
event on a USB stick.
• A laptop and projector will be provided by the SAI.
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6. Tips & Tricks
• Make sure to provide the information of which rooms the
companies have to go after the opening session.
• Make the map of Room name
• Lead facilitator for the room to make contact
• Communication channel between the facilitator (viber group/
messenger) for time management
• Prepare the time card to show the presenter from company
• Set the table, chair and fan for making convenience the
company representatives.
• Put water bottle for company representatives
• To encourage the students for the questions
• Check the projector and sound system before the program
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7. Job - 1
• Create your own company list
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8. The advantages of including a panel
discussion in Bizconnect programme
• well- discussed in small group
• interactive, information
• learn the experience
• triangulation(?) new decision
• linkage, better communication
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9. Panel discussion
• To give students the chance to ask questions
to companies.
• And to give companies the floor to interact
amongst each other, and discuss important
topics for youth in agriculture.
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10. Facilitation questions included in
the panel discussion
1. After graduation, how did you get this job? What are your experiences?
2. Which requirements do you look for when you hire new employees? What are
the main top 3 qualifications?
3. What are the learning opportunities for graduates in the different companies?
4. Why do companies need the young generation to join the agribusiness?
Where are the opportunities?
5. What are the challenges you see for youth in agribusiness?
6. How can students find job opportunities for these companies? Through which
channels?
7. Is there an internship programme?
8. What is the best advice someone gave you? And which advice would you give
the students?
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11. Job - 2
• What questions should be included in the panel
discussion?
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12. Information Market
• For the companies to showcase their products
and services to potential new staff
• For the students as an interactive part of the
programme where they can move freely and
visit company booths
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13. Tips & tricks
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• Prepare the companies what
they need to bring for their booth
• Prepare a map for all the
booths
• Make sure there is enough
space
• If outside, use a place in the
shade
• Assign one student leader/student
group
• Assign teachers to students
groups
• Make sure the companies
join for lunch and have access to
water
• Arrange enough chairs
• Make sure all the booths are in
one compound area
• Make sure students are
not go back to their hostels

14. Standard Instruction to companies
• Each company will get a table and 2 chairs to display your
products and information about your services. SAI staff and
students will walk around and visit different company booths.
• Contact the SAI principal or responsible SAI staff by the principal
for the location of the booth and set up.
• Prepare: Bring products and promotional materials to show
and/or give away
• Make sure your company booth is set up with the products and
company representatives 1 hour in advance before the official
opening session.
• Inform the SAI contact person for your arrival and booth set up
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15. Speed Dating
• It’s short
• It’s interactive
• Both parties can ask questions
• It’s timely - when the bell rings you move on
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16. How does it work?
• Count the number of companies
• Divide the students in groups
• Prepare the students to have questions
• Have a bell ready
• Set a timer for 7-10 min (depending on the
amount of companies)
• Make the students change company each time
when you ring the bell
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17. Instruction to companies
• You will sit at your company table to have 10 short
conversations with groups of 3rd year SAI students.
• Every conversation will be 5 minutes.
• After every 5 minutes, we will ring a bell and the student
groups will move to the next table.
• The students will ask you questions about your company and
opportunities for them to work with your company.
• You can also ask questions to get to know the students better
and give them advice for their future career.
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18. What questions can students ask to
the companies?
• skills, requirements
• job season
• type of business
• salary & benefits, promotion plan
• gender ratio, position for ladies
• Bond, contract
• linkage, application procedure
• company products- local- useful
• JD
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19. What will be the good questions by
students during Speed Dating Session ?
• What are your company focus services, products
and active area?
• How can I find your company information and
sharing of business contact?
• What kind of skills are needed by your company
from the new staff?
• Where to contact for a job vacancy and
application letter?
• Any suggestion from you if I want to join your
company?
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20. Group discussions between
companies & teachers
• The purpose of the group discussion between
• companies and teachers is to learn from each
other
• and to discuss how the education at SAIs can be
• aligned to the needs of the labour market.
• The discussion will be on the following topics:
● The skills of the students needed
● Collaboration between SAIs and companies
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21. Instruction for the Group discussions
1. Plan the set up according to the teacher vs companies’
representatives. Let all the participants know who will be where &
when by the facilitator.
2. Plan for the room set up as a circle of chair and rotate the rooms
after 30 min. discussion.
3. Companies and SAI staff will be divided in 2 groups.
4. The 2 groups of companies will stay in different lecture rooms; 2
groups of SAI staff will rotate after 30 min discussion.
5. Select the participant from the Department of Agriculture as
facilitator if possible and select one note taker from the teachers.
6. Groups will record their discussion outcomes on flip charts.
7. Discussion scheme
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22. Final tips & Wrap up
- Assign lead facilitator for each room
- Make sure to inform the companies group and teacher
groups where they have to go by the lead assign facilitator
- Assign one teacher as note take in each room
- The facilitator should be from the third party
- The facilitators need to mobilize the discussion to come out
with specific action points
- Assign one teacher for time keeper making sure rotating the
rooms.
- Be ready the materials : flip chart, pen, paper tape, white
board
Wrap up and Q&A
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23. How to organize the evaluation?
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24. Tips & tricks for evaluation
• Decide who is your target group
• Don’t make the evaluation form too long
• Have clear questions
• Not too many open questions (difficult to analyze!)
• Tell people beforehand that they can expect an
evaluation form
• Choose the right moment to hand out your evaluation
form
• Assign one person to be responsible for handing out
and handing in the evaluation forms
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25. Evaluations & reporting
• Evaluation (students)
• Evaluation (teachers, company)
• Analysis of the evaluation data
• Report Writing
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