This fall, the U of M’s extended education, in partnership with IDEA START, will offer students a new free micro-certificate in Applied Innovation: From Ideas to Impact.
The first course will run from Oct. 26 to Dec. 15. It is available to U of M students across disciplines and levels of study at no cost.
The micro-certificate is designed to help students develop skills in innovation, problem-solving, communication, collaboration and project execution while working with ideas that can be applied to real-world challenges.
Ute Kothe, dean of extended education, said the program is intended to broaden how students approach their university education.
“It’s about how to do something new, to bring new ideas to reality,” Kothe said. “The Applied Innovation program provides the opportunity for students to get more out of their university education, transcending their own discipline to think broader and bigger.”
The program was developed with support from Gerry Price, Price Industries CEO and author of Anatomy of a Startup: Playbook for Growing a Business.
Price shared the program’s potential contribution to the province’s economic development.
“I support the Applied Innovation education program at the U of M because it will help create a culture of commercialization in our province,” Price said. “If businesses grow and thrive, a stronger economic foundation will develop, which is good for the people of Manitoba.”
Rajeev Koyal, IDEA START program manager, said the partnership responds to a need in existing programming.
“There are many programs on entrepreneurship, but to create a program around applied innovation fills a huge gap,” Koyal said.
Students will complete three 24-hour courses. The first, Foundations in Applied Innovation, requires no previous experience and introduces students to “innovation attitudes on Turtle Island […] tools, design thinking and case studies.”
The second course, Methods and Practices in Innovation, will have “students solve real-world problems on an interdisciplinary team.” The final course, Applied Project in Innovation, will allow students to apply the skills they have developed to a project of their choice and present their ideas to their classmates.
Heaven Kaur, UMSU president, encouraged students to take advantage of the program alongside their existing studies.
“They will get a lot of real-life experience that will help them in the long run. They will get practical skills and confidence,” Kaur said.
Students will receive a digital badge after completing each of the first two courses and a micro-certificate after completing all three.
The program is intended to prepare students to use innovation skills in employment, entrepreneurship and other initiatives.
The program’s design is flexible and permits students to enrol alongside their primary courses.
Kothe said the credential could have a lasting role in students’ professional development.
Participants will also benefit from the “valuable networking component,” as they meet other students interested in innovation.
Applications are open until Sept. 28. Visit the U of M extended education website for more details about the program at http://umanitoba.ca/extended-education/
