Uman: a cross-programme initiative and a human support system for students at Rennes School of Business

All of the programmes at Rennes School of Business are designed to provide students with valuable tools that will help them to address the complexity of our environment through the development of their interdisciplinarity, multiculturalism, responsibility and creativity.
Uman is a collective and transversal initiative that aims to combine the energy of the different departments at Rennes SB in order to support our students in the best way possible.
First launched in 2020, the Uman project aims to help our students grow and evolve in a ‘human’ way, with a focus on three main areas:

• The well-being and social connection of our community (students are accompanied to feel good in their day-to-day life),
• The professional careers of our students (students are accompanied in the search for internships, professional experience and a fulfilling career),
• To nurture and grow the emerging skills of our students (students are accompanied in the acquisition of transversal skills).

Uman focuses on supporting our students as they:

• Gain confidence with which to propel themselves forward,
• Discover and develop their personal values as they learn to respect themselves and others whilst having a positive impact on their environment,
• Take a step back in order to make decisions, decipher daily life, solve problems and remain humble,
• Take ownership of new forms of work through which to collaborate and manage,
• Innovate through the activation of their individual talents,
• Reveal what drives them so that they can build a network and find their path.

Students are supported with their well-being and social connection

This branch of the Uman initiative aims to respond to student’s specific and individual needs in order to promote their well-being and social integration. We accompany our students to help them feel good in their day-to-day life:

• In their programme, their cohort and their classes
• In their heart, body and mind
• In administrative procedures and the use of tools

At Rennes School of Business, different measures have been put in place to ensure that students are able to settle into their new life in Rennes and their studies, as smoothly as possible.
The Feel Good project is run and organised by the SENSe department (Student Experience, Network and Services) with the aim of providing the tools, support and resources that each student needs to expand and flourish in their daily life. Its principal values are Support – Listen – Act – Train – Advise – Inform.

As part of this initiative, students have free 24/24 access to online psychological support from trained professionals in French, English, Spanish, Chinese and for the hard-of-hearing with a company called PROS-CONSULTE.
Feel Good also concentrates on the importance of preventative measures and communication with a range of workshops on themes such as addiction prevention, sexual health, stress management and sophrology.
In order to promote diversity & inclusion within the School, a range of grants and scholarships are available to students from all backgrounds, underlining the School’s belief that everyone should have access to equal opportunities.
The School also has support systems in place to aid students as they set up their accommodation and healthcare, helping students to concentrate on their studies and personal development.
“More than ever, during this turbulent time, our students need to be listened to, advised, supported and accompanied. Beyond academic support, we want to be able to help our students to live their experience at Rennes SB in the best possible conditions. We believe that in order to find their path, our students must feel good in their day-to-day life and during their studies, which is why we have implemented our new Feel Good initiative.” Pauline Bebin, SENSe.

Students are supported during their professional development

The second branch of the Uman project is dedicating to helping students grow both personally and professionally. A variety of measures are in place at the School to help our students to find their way and know how to sell themselves in order to build their professional network and find an internship, job or apprenticeship.

The Corporate Days are an occasion for students to attend diverse career-oriented events such as conferences, roundtables, workshops, business games, business cases and individual coaching sessions in order to grow their skills, their networks and their opportunities.
Students have access to career workshops, personalised and group coaching sessions and a selection of dedicated career platforms including MyCareerPlatform by JobTeaser, Highered, Goin global, My CV factory and My Job Glasses where they are able to access a range of materials, informative content and exclusive offers for internships, work-study contracts and job offers.

Students are supported during the development of emerging skills

Supporting students as they enter the labour market is an important and fundamental issue at Rennes School of Business, whether for a first internship or a first job. Emerging skills are particularly sought after by companies and are highly valued by employers. By supporting our students in the acquisition of new emerging and transversal skills, Rennes SB encourages them to experiment with new ways of working and improve their efficiency.
As part of the Uman initiative, and in the context of rapid digitalisation due to the global pandemic, Rennes School of Business has created three new badges to validate and certify the digital skills of our students with the aim of enabling our final-year students (PGE3, BiM3 and MSc) to showcase their digital competencies to future employers. Students have acquired these skills inherently throughout their programmes, as categorised by the following themes:

• Planning an online meeting
• Leading an online meeting: in partnership with Klaxoon, an expert in the revolution of meetings
• Contributing to an online project

Rennes School of Business seeks to prepare its students to become innovative and responsible managers in a global environment through a combination of specialised and market-oriented educational programmes and a focus on educational innovation. These future managers are trained to become responsible pioneers that have been shaped and sharpened during a multicultural, human experience.

More about student life at Rennes SB