PTG joins hands with CBS to open a coffee shop and convenience store in Chulalongkorn University
Aiming to promote students as future entrepreneurs under the concept of “The Real Business in The School"
PTG Energy Plc (PTG) on September 12 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chulalongkorn Business School (CBS) to promote student education under the project “CGS Lounge by PTG”.
PTG president and chief executive officer Pitak Ratchakitprakarn said that under the project, PTG and CBS will together open a coffeeshop “CBS Café by Punthai” and a convenience store “CBS Mart by Max Mart” in Chulalongkorn University, where students can learn how to build and manage a business from early steps until they become future entrepreneurs under the concept of “The Real Business in The School."
“The MoU signing and the opening of CBS Café by Punthai and CBS Mart by Max Mart are part of a pilot project between PTG and CBS that aims to maximise the learning efficiency in business administration among college students,” he said. “It also enables students to build their own businesses while studying and gain real-world experiences and skills that can be adapted to other industries in the future.”
The project also aligns with PTG’s policy in corporate social responsibility as the company has realised the importance of students who are the country’s future and is therefore committed to promoting their education and personnel development, added Pitak.
PTG will be responsible for the opening and initial operation of the coffee shop and convenience store, while CBS will supervise all the administration of the stores.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Wilert Puriwat, Dean of Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy at Chulalongkorn University or Chulalongkorn Business School (CBS), added that this project will turn CBS into a real business in the school and allow students of the faculty to work as employees of Chula Business Enterprise.
“This project will help students become familiar with working in the real world in all aspects, both online and offline. It also solves the issue that new graduates lack real-world working experience when they try to apply for a job,” he added.
In the early stage of the project, PTG will support the opening of CBS Lounge, a learning space that also provides working experience. CBS Lounge comprises three parts: CBS Café sponsored by Punthai coffee, CBS Mart sponsored by PT Max Mart, and CBS coworking space which provide training in customer service for students.
Students will not only learn how to make coffee or be a cashier at a convenience store but they will also be trained in all aspects of business administration in different capacities, such as online business executives, marketing managers and accountants.
“The CBS Lounge uses Ed-Enterprise model in building a real business in the school to promote students’ learning as well as generate profit to support underprivileged students and other social charity projects,” said Wilert. “The project will serve as a model for business administration education in the digital era that creates a true digital social enterprise while allowing students to establish their own startups while they were studying. In the future, there will be more of this project in the faculty, which will further help prepare students to embark on a real-world career at their full potential.”
