Timothy Jones: on the GMC in Santiago

What is Global Management Consulting (GMC)?

Global Management Consulting is an intensive subject, wherein students are assigned to a team and host organisation located outside Australia. I went to Santiago, Chile, and was placed at Sedgman; a global firm in the mining industry with a focus on providing infrastructure and solutions in the mineral processing stage. The experience was like no other – in just two short weeks we had to adapt to a new work environment, meet and manage different stakeholders, scope a project, meet deliverables, and present project findings to a panel that included Sedgman’s General Manager of South America. Add jet lag and language barriers, and the result was one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences of my life.

The Project

Sedgman were interested in forecasting capital and operating expenses of the mining process. This involved collecting data from a series of reports and looking for trends and correlations in the data, while also creating a search tool. This project was extremely technical – it required us to dive deep into the mining process, in order to understand the data. We then applied the econometric modelling skills we gained through our university studies to complete an analysis.

My team members learnt many real-life business skills, like how to handle stakeholders with differing priorities, what to do when the project scope suddenly changes, how to communicate effectively within a business, and how to build professional relationships. These skills cannot be learnt in a classroom, and are skills many graduates lack prior to entering the workforce. Students who undertake the GMC get a head start when applying for internships and graduate roles.

I was lucky enough to be placed in a group with three other intelligent and hardworking students. What initially seemed like an impossible project, became possible and allowed us to add value to Sedgman. As well as working well together, we became good friends, and are extremely proud of our collective effort.

Chilean work culture

Working in Chile was amazing. It was a unique way to see a city and gain an appreciation for the culture. From the first day, it was clear that in South America individual personalities are brought into the office, as there were strong connections between workers personal and professional lives. This was great for me to experience and I met larger than life characters who I formed connections with at after-work karaoke.

What I gained

Global Management Consulting is what you make it. It can provide:

• Improved technical skills, business acumen and consulting skills.
• The chance to add real value for a client – this can be referenced in job interviews.
• A new perspective on the world – not just seeing a new culture but working and being immersed in it.

Should students apply for Global Management Consulting?

Absolutely. This is a fast-paced consulting project that will challenge you in ways that simply cannot be experienced in a classroom. GMC is a chance to gain skills that come from work-integrated-learning. Many students and employers feel that traditional classroom-based learning alone is insufficient to prepare students for the workforce. Apply for this subject, test yourself in a real work setting, get ahead of the rest, and I promise you will not regret it!