By Isaac Brennan, Third Year, International Business Management
180 Degrees Consulting Bristol is the local student-led Branch of the global organisation 180 Degrees Consulting, which provides high-quality consulting services to social impact organizations to improve and expand their services.
Founded by Bristol students back in 2019, 180DC Bristol is currently led by politics and sociology student Hannah Jusu-Sheriff. The group have been one of the fastest growing branches in the world over the past three years, reaching a peak membership of 110.
Students can join the group as a team member, team leader or senior consultant, with each position giving the opportunity to help a local charity on a real project. This helps to build teamwork, communication and skills while working on real projects with clients.
Domonic Ellison, Chief Executive of the West of England Centre for Inclusive Living (WECIL), who worked with university students on a collaborative project to implement AI technology said that ‘the expertise and professionalism of the 180DC team made them a pleasure for all at WECIL to work with and their solutions were delivered on time, with WECIL team members’ understanding of the issues developed in pace with the support received.’
Students, too, seem to enjoy the opportunity with 77 per cent returning for a second project.
Keaveney, one of the Bristol branches founders said ‘the nature of university means each year we lose our most critical leaders.’
He added, ‘such a boost in retention allows us to develop specialities, improve skills and create long-term strategies. We have also collaborated with nine other UK-based 180 branches through setting up conferences, further evolving practices and encouraging constant learning.’
From 2019 to 2021, 180 Degrees Consulting Bristol was officially the most innovative worldwide at the 180 Degrees Consulting global branch awards.
They have since doubled in size continuing their growth over the 2022/2023 academic year and have set their eyes on the Best Branch Award.
To date, they have delivered over 100 projects, with plans to continue delivering many more into the future with new students and committee members from Bristol.
The group is also active in community wide engagement. They previously appeared at the VOSCURs Volunteering Forum, alongside receiving high amounts of praise from executives in Bristol and the South West’s charity sector.
CCO of AskingBristol and Ex High Sherrif John Manley praised the group’s work.
'The project teams are truly professional and combine students from different disciplines and with different skills. Their processes and tools are a match to consulting businesses.'
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By the end of this academic year, the group will have selected a new management team comprised of the best students from the University of Bristol. They aim to continue attracting innovative students looking to apply their courses to real world scenarios and are confident the future committee are set up for further success.
They plan to deliver a variety of different projects over the coming year. These range from projects in the management and marketing fields to more creative and innovative ones which handle data or creating new services for local businesses or charities. The variety of projects allows students from all disciplines to get involved.
Featured Image: 180 Degrees Consulting Bristol
If you're interested in finding out more or getting involved, see 180DC Bristol's website.
