By Eric Bourque
THE VANGUARD
NovaNewsNow.com
Developing more of a connection between the business community and postsecondary institutions could be mutually beneficial, members of the Yarmouth and Area Chamber of Commerce were told during their annual general meeting.
Ron Robichaud, executive director of the Acadia Centre for Social and Business Entrepreneurship (ACSBE) and guest speaker for the chamber’s AGM, said he encourages business people to take advantage of university or college programs that might help them.
From the students’ perspective, he noted that while they may be getting what they need in the classroom as far as theory is concerned, many likely would welcome a chance at some practical experience.
“There’s a large number of students taking courses at university, but that’s the theoretical part,” he said in an interview. “The students would like to get a practical part: how do I practise what I’m learning? … The opportunities are (there) for businesses to be able to engage students in order to do that.”
Robichaud said he and his Acadia University colleague, Peggy Crawford – research and innovation coordinator in Acadia’s division of research and graduate studies (who spoke briefly after Robichaud during the Yarmouth chamber’s meeting) – are trying to act as a conduit between the university and the community.
“The thing is, let’s get the resources out of the university (and) into the community so the community can benefit,” he said. “For the longest time, you look at universities and they’re sort of like a silo. They’re an academic institution and people have a tendency to stay away from that because they don’t feel they’re in the same intellectual mindset. It doesn’t have to be that way. We need to break that barrier.”
An adjunct professor at Acadia, where he teaches classes in small business management, Robichaud has a varied work background that includes experience in manufacturing, service and retail. He has been with ACSBE for about six years. Prior to that he was at Université Sainte-Anne for over a decade.
In his chamber address he noted that entrepreneurship is about more than just starting or operating a business, a point he was asked about afterwards.
“When we talk about entrepreneurship, it’s a mindset, thinking entrepreneurially,” he said. “An entrepreneur will always look at solving problems, so when we talk about an entrepreneurial culture … it’s really somebody who takes responsibility for their actions to advance their careers, make informed decisions, but also contribute back to society in some way.”
He spoke too of the importance of “soft skills,” the need for people to understand themselves and to be able to work with others.
“Getting along is the number-one thing for people to get ahead in life,” he said. “If they can’t get along, they can’t get ahead.”
Robichaud’s address to the chamber followed the business portion of the Yarmouth chamber’s annual meeting. Dave Hall stays on as the chamber’s president for another year.
