From Classroom to Career: Empowering Students with Industry Insights

On Wednesday, March 4, students across our Madrid and Paris campuses participated in employability sessions designed to provide practical insight into today’s professional landscape. The day offered complementary experiences across locations: a hands-on bootcamp in Madrid exploring leadership, artificial intelligence, and career pathways, and an insider perspective on recruitment practices in Paris. As we consistently aim to do, the sessions brought together a diverse panel of professionals to ensure that students could hear a range of opinions, experiences, and perspectives on today’s workplace. 

Madrid: A Hands-On Employability Bootcamp
At our Madrid campus, students participated in a dynamic Employability Bootcamp comprising three engaging sessions. Ignacio del Pozo Sierra, COO at IBM, shared strategies for embracing disruption and leveraging emerging technologies to develop high-performance and leadership skills. Students also had the opportunity to connect with Cristina Marqués from IBM’s University Relations team, continuing conversations and asking questions about career opportunities in the sector. Our own faculty member, Professor Mike Beattie, explored the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence in professional contexts. Finally, Guillermo Casado from Accenture and Jimena Miniño from EY offered insider advice on breaking into the Big 4, sharing their personal experiences as young professionals navigating recruitment processes, early career challenges, and what it takes to succeed in competitive consulting environments.  

Paris: Insider Perspectives on Recruitment
While our Madrid students engaged in hands-on workshops, students in Paris gained an insider view of how global employers hire and assess early-career talent. Led by Joanna Rombel, Employability Manager, and Roopi Sidhu, Global Student Journey & Employment Lead at GEDU, the session examined recruitment practices across international organizations, including assessment centers, candidate evaluation, and the skills employers look for in interns and graduate hires. Students learned practical strategies to stand out in competitive applications and better understand the expectations of top employers.  

This was the first session in a series offered in the framework of Module 4, the campus’s employability program to help students approach the job market with all the necessary skills and tools. The next session programmed will be on April 1, focusing on LinkedIn, Portfolio for Personal Branding.  

Preparing Students for the Future of Work
Together, these sessions reflect our commitment to connecting academic learning with real-world insight. By bringing industry professionals and recruiters directly into the student experience, we help students better understand how careers unfold. 

Just as importantly, these conversations reinforce the importance of equal opportunity in the workplace. Through diverse speakers, transparent discussions, and practical career guidance, we aim to ensure that every student can see a pathway forward and feel equipped to pursue it.