Business and Enterprise degree provides unique opportunity for Lismore students

Southern Cross University will champion innovation and entrepreneurship in the Northern Rivers through a new business degree at its Lismore campus.

The Bachelor of Business and Enterprise will be offered in 2023 on campus and online, connecting students with one of the most remarkable commercial shifts in northern NSW.

The aftermath of the February and March floods across the region has seen businesses connect and interact in an unprecedented way.

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Even the Southern Cross campus has evolved rapidly into a commercial centre of education, health, business and community partners.

Associate Dean (Research) of the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts, Professor Darshana Sedera, said fostering business skills was central to recovery efforts for the Northern Rivers.

“The only way to recover is to enable a ground-up approach through entrepreneurship and innovation,” Professor Sedara said.

“The region has the capacity; the region has shown resilience. There is support from both the federal and state governments and the private sector to foster new businesses coming through.”

The Bachelor of Business and Enterprise is a course that focuses on running a modern-day business, according to Professor Sedara.

“It is a multidisciplinary business-oriented course but also includes elements of technology, digital transformation, and sustainability,” he said.

Students will have the opportunity to develop their entrepreneurship skills through the University’s partner programs. The employability program INTERCHANGE builds career confidence for graduates through theoretical and practical learning. Participants develop entrepreneurial skills by creating a simulated start-up. Additionally, a partnership with the NSW Environment Protection Authority will focus on the role entrepreneurialism can play in developing environmental solutions.

Students also have the opportunity to connect with the local business and industry as part of their studies, with around 20 organisations now calling the Southern Cross Lismore campus home.

Northern Rivers Business Hub – a collaboration between the University and Business NSW – has been running out of Lismore campus for several months, providing space for businesses to work, access internet, host meetings, and receive advice and support.

Business NSW Regional Director Northern Rivers Jane Laverty said the Business Hub had been a lifeline for local businesses.

“The Hub has demonstrated the connection that can be created between business and industry and the University,” Ms Laverty said.

A new survey from Business NSW found nine out of 10 businesses are hiring, with 50 per cent of those positions calling for experienced or qualified workers.

“Businesses will be excited to know that there’s a pathway to grow their skill sets through a relationship with the University,” Ms Laverty said.

“If we can be growing our own talent to support the growth and viability of Northern Rivers businesses, then I call that a success.”