ICE+

 

Take part in an ICE+ challenge to

become industry-ready, develop your employability skills and win a paid placement

The ICE+ Challenges are among my best activities at the University. I consider myself a serial participant; each experience has brought its own unique blend of challenge and eventfulness. ICE+ has helped me test and improve my problem solving skills and business knowledge alongside students from diverse cultural and academic backgrounds.

Oluwatobi Ibironke, MSc. Business Intelligence & Analytics student

Previous ICE+ Challenges

EPIKs - step up the cycling culture

Our most recent challenge, held in February 2022, was with EPIKs - Environmental Projects in Kirklees.

The challenge was about transport and travel, exploring what we do, and how we can change our habits both individually and as a community.

We asked students to identify a future for cycling where more people are cycling to work, cycling for leisure, perhaps using cycling commercially and through this raised activity, creating a positive and inclusive cycling culture in and around Huddersfield.

UK Greetings - the future of greetings

Our January 2022 challenge was with UK Greetings; a local company who create greeting cards, gift dressings and social expressions products for big events, special occasions and those “saw-this-and-thought-of-you” moments of life. 

Traditionally we have used greetings cards to send messages that expresses, either seriously or humorously, affection, good will, gratitude, sympathy, or other sentiments. Greeting cards are usually sent by mail in observance of a special day or event.

As we embrace the digital age, UK Greetings wants to understand how we will express our social connectedness in the future. Who will we be greeting, for what purpose, and importantly, how will we do this?

Participants were put into teams and challenged to help UK Greetings explore and imagine the future and develop a business model to send greetings in new ways.

Two winning teams won paid placements with UK Greetings to further develop their ideas.

 

Image of a rose above UK Greetings

Sticky - a new use of the Sticky platform

Our challenge with Sticky took place in November 2021; a local company leading the way in creating transformative and stress-free experiences in physical spaces.

Participants were put into teams and challenged to help Sticky come up with a new use of a Sticky platform. They were encouraged to observe what was happening on University campus and in Huddersfield town centre then think about what problems and issues could be resolved using Sticky. 

The winning team won a paid placement with Sticky to further develop their ideas.

 

Sticky Logo

One Community – how do we assess, elevate and celebrate?

We ran a challenge at the beginning of November 2021 with One Community, a local organisation that plays a valuable role here in Huddersfield as one of 46 community foundations in the UK.

The challenge was for students to perform a review of One Community and, based on their findings, propose a Vision and Mission to enable them to communicate their purpose and values to stakeholders. The teams also considered how One Community's website and social media channels could support these communications.

The winning team won win a paid placement with One-Community to further develop their ideas, undertake market research, and contribute positively to raising awareness of the value and impact of this organisation. 

One Community Logo

Rugby League Cares – the National Rugby League Museum: a space and place for students

Rugby League Cares is a charity that touches upon the lives of people involved at every level of the sport, from junior clubs to current and former players. They are the creators and curators of the National Rugby League Museum (NRLM), a new attraction coming to Huddersfield in 2024 which will be situated in the heart of the Town Centre at The George Hotel, directly adjacent to Huddersfield Train Station.

The mission of the National Rugby League Museum is to preserve and tell the story of rugby league, and the communities that have made it, in ways which open the mind, lift the heart, and inspire the imagination.

Rugby League Cares wish to ensure that the museum is more than a visitor attraction for rugby enthusiasts. They want it to be a social space for local communities, a place for leisure, work and socialising.

The ICE+ challenge for our students was to think about what our local communities want, and - as part of the University’s 14,000 strong student community – think about what students want from the museum.

The challenge captured ideas and aspirations for the museum and developed a vision for the space. The winning team will work on their ideas through a paid placement with RL Cares. 

Image showing RL Cares logo

Gekco – Corporate Social Responsibility: a way of being for Gekco

Our first ICE+ challenge took place in November 2020 with Gekco, a local company who create pure, high-performance liquid chalk for sports enthusiasts. Gekco describe their product as "Chalk made by climbers. designed for friction freaks".

The ICE+ challenge was for student teams to develop a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) agenda for Gekco, resulting in a net positive impact on the world. 

The winning team undertook a paid placement at Gekco - which included time on a climbing wall - to implement their ideas and recommendations. 

Image of a gecko