CREDIT: ANGELA MCINNES
Sun Life Financial sponsors Fanshaww's business finance and professional financial services students in case competition with cash prizes Dec. 6.

Business finance and professional financial services students are getting ready to compete on Dec. 6, in an upcoming case competition sponsored by Sun Life Financial, who has provided $2500 for the fall and spring case event. Students are given two weeks to prepare an insurance report, covering areas such as life insurance, disability insurance and critical illness insurance.

Each group, made up of three to five students, will begin by presenting to professors in a round of preliminary presentations in classes. Out of 20 groups, only eight teams will continue to the final presentations, chosen by professors, who will display their talents in front of a panel of judges. Successful students in this friendly bout will receive prize money, graciously donated from those at Sun Life Financial.

Top prize for the winning team is $500, second is $300 and third get receive $100. “The curriculum is intense at Fanshawe,” Alfred Tran, managing partner at Sun Life Financial said. “But, what’s next? There is not as much support after students graduate-we are especially good at helping students find jobs within London.”

Students partaking in the case competition will be able to gain invaluable insights from industry professionals firsthand.

Chris Delaney, one of the professors administering the event said it is a passive to active experience. Students will be able to apply what they have learned in the classroom toward a more practical scenario, of real-life interactions with professionals.

Both courses provide this opportunity to students through the course curriculum, as this presentation is worth 20 per cent of their final grade.

Co-ordinators designed the case competition along with a team from Sun Life Financial to build on students’ theoretical knowledge, provided through course lectures and readings.

“It offers tremendous value, [as] both (courses) are heavily tied to their industry,” Lisa Schwerzmann, a program manager at the Lawrence Kinlin School of Business said.

Once student presentations have wrapped up, a final presentation by the representatives at Sun Life Financial will begin and will discussing trends within the industry, career paths, as well as tips and tricks to finding jobs.

During the day, there will also be a networking lunch and limited spots for bystanders to watch the event unfold. Each presentation will be 15 minutes in length, followed by 10 minutes of a Q-and-A period.

“We want to be sure we have the right people in our offices,” Tran said. “It’s also a great opportunity to give back.”

Adam Anderson, sales manager at Sun Life Financial concluded by sharing positives about the competition. “The competition is an in-depth look at knowledge, based from the program and industry,” Anderson said.

Additionally, Sun Life Financial will return spring 2019 for finance students during a job fair.

For further information about the event, including scheduling and spectating, Brad Bishop, professor of financial planning is available for contact to provide extended details. Brad Bishop: (519) 452-4430 x 2870 or bbishop@fanshawec.ca