GCC Bridge
The GCC Bridge program is a remarkable initiative that unites groups of graduate students and postdocs from diverse fields to collaborate in teams, addressing real-world business challenges faced by startups and NGOs. In just 9 weeks, the participants complete a pro bono consulting project, from the first meeting with the client to the final recommendation pitch.
At the beginning of the program, the consultants attend a week-long bootcamp where they attend workshops to sharpen their essential consulting skills and meet the client to establish the project objectives. The remaining 8 weeks of the program are divided into multiple phases, with short-term deliverables to be presented at client meetings scheduled at the end of each phase.
The Bridge program is designed to emphasize learning through practice, allowing consultants to acquire valuable problem-solving, communication, and interpersonal skills while working collaboratively with a team. Team leaders and project managers receive support and mentorship from GCC alumni and an oversight committee, empowering them to develop their leadership capabilities and achieve success.
Overall, the GCC Bridge program provides an unparalleled opportunity for graduate students and postdocs to gain practical consulting experience, develop key skills, and make a positive impact in the world by contributing to the success of startups and NGOs.
We previously provided consulting services to Scailyte, Mirai Foods, PXL Vision, Carvolution, Caru, Room to Read, Telejob, Deep Breath Initiative, BLP Digital, ImpactHub Zürich, Swiss Red Cross, Engineers Without Borders, Yamo, Insolight, Cortical.io, CareerFairy and others.
Testimonials
FAQ
Who can join?
If you are affiliated with a Swiss university and have an interest in solving a real-world business problem for one of our clients, we invite you to join the Bridge program. We particularly encourage students with a non-business background to apply and expand their knowledge.
To sign up for Bridge, you need to have requested membership from the Graduate Consulting Club. You can do so on our membership page. As soon as you create the account, you can sign up for Bridge.
When does the program take place?
The Bridge program starts October 9th 2023 and lasts for the duration of 9 weeks.
Where does the program take place?
The program mostly takes place virtually or on ETH Zurich campus (for the kickoff/wrap up/Apéro/workshops). In-person presence is not mandatory but recommended.
Do I need previous consulting experience to participate?
No previous consulting experience is required to participate in Bridge. The program is a learning experience and an introduction to consulting for all members, regardless of their past experiences. However, we do encourage our previous Bridge participants to apply for a leadership position to enhance your consulting experience.
How are participants selected?
Participants will be selected on motivation and commitment. While we may consider preferences for a particular project/role and notable skills/experiences for the staffing of our teams, we foremost want to offer a learning platform to our participants. Previous Bridge participants with a recommendation from their Team leader/Project managers have priority for leadership positions.
How are teams selected?
The teams will be composed on the basis of experience, background and project preferences. While we try to account for preferences of the applicants wherever possible, we cannot guarantee them. This also holds true for the combination of applicants that wish to work together in the same team.
Which position should you apply to?
Every project team consists of up to 20 people, which are further broken down into teams of approx. 5 people.
The project manager oversees the entire project, steers the team of 15 - 20 consultants, and acts as the liaison between team leaders and the client. Consulting experience advantageous.
Team leader leads a small team of approx. 5 people, distributes the individual tasks and acts as the liaison between the consultants and the project manager. Leadership experience advantageous.
Consultants conduct research, analyze data and synthesise results with their cohorts in teams of 4-5. This role is not client facing and is perfect for participants who would like to experience working on a consulting project with lower responsibilities.
If you are interested in both consultant and leadership roles, please apply for a leadership position only. We will evaluate you for both positions.
Who organizes Bridge?
The organization of Bridge is coordinated by Vanessa Abegg, a board member of the Graduate Consulting Club and the head of consulting services. The core organizational team also consists of Vlada Mykhailova, the President of Graduate Consulting Club and Vinay Shekhar, advisory Board member. Behind them are many other board and committee members, helping out when needed.
Key Facts
Next edition: Spring 2024
Tentative start day: 04 March 2024
Duration: 9 weeks
Estimated workload:
6-8 hours / week (consultants)
8-10 hours / week (team leader or project manager)
Questions?
Contact Vanessa Abegg, the GCC board member for Bridge. You can reach her at vanessa.abegg@graduateconsultingclub.org .
For Clients
Who can I talk to about participating?
Reach out to GCC board member Vanessa Abegg via vanessa.abegg@graduateconsultingclub.org.
Can my organization participate?
Your organization should either be an early stage start-up (with at least 10 employees), a spin-off of ETH Zürich or the University of Basel, or an NGO. SMEs and large companies could contact us directly.
What are the participation fees?
No monetary compensation is expected from the client for the pro bono consulting services. However, depending on the client's preference, we could organize networking/social event with the participants of the Bridge program and ask for reimbursement for such an event.