Shell Propel Business Project

Offered through the Master of Management (MMgmt) program at the Haskayne School of Business, the Propel Business Project pairs students with small businesses, new ventures, social enterprises and non-profits to provide pro-bono business-project support. Aimed at recent non-business graduates, this allows students to gain first-hand business experience while applying their classroom knowledge to real-world projects. During the Propel Project, students meet virtually with their supervisors on a weekly basis to check progress and ensure everything is on track. Students are compensated for their 50 hours of work with a grant of $1,250 offered by the Haskayne School through generous donors like Shell Canada.

As part of the Propel Business Project, Nabhya Harjai worked with Children’s Link Society, a not-for-profit that maintains a database of services and resources for families and professionals to support children who have special needs. Harjai’s project focused on conducting marketing research to support the organization’s goal of transitioning into a social enterprise and charging fees.

In 2021, 100 per cent of students surveyed felt the Propel Business Project added value to their degree. Most projects in 2021-2022 came from pre-revenue startups focusing on innovation, and nearly half were market-research or business-analytics-based. In contrast, other projects required unique deliverables ranging from event-organization and volunteer-recruitment templates to financial modelling and strategy recommendations.

We want to thank Shell Canada for generously funding student experiential-learning initiatives at the Haskayne School. This program allows students to build business work experience and apply skills from the classroom to real-world projects while making an impact. These experiences have been integral to students transitioning into employment after the program.