MARS concludes ninth year of putting business students to the test

mars 2013

MARS Apprentice wraps up this week. Over the course of the nine years of MARS Apprentice, more than 90 students have put their business knowledge to the test on real world challenges, and more than 40 students have earned internships with sponsor companies.


A flagship experiential learning program for undergraduate students at the DeGroote School of Business will conclude its ninth season this week.

Over the course of the nine years of MARS Apprentice, more than 90 students have put their business knowledge to the test on real world challenges, and more than 40 students have earned internships with sponsor companies.

MARS Apprentice, which stands for marketing, advertising, retail and sales, is designed to allow students to apply the knowledge they learn in the classroom to real industry problems and gain valuable work experience in the process. Over the years, companies including Pepsi Co, IBM, Blackberry and Wal-Mart have offered internships to participating students.

Tuesday, March 19 marks the closing ceremonies of MARS Apprentice at which the 2013 intern winners will be revealed. The ceremony begins at the Art Gallery of Hamilton at 6 p.m.

Three years ago, MARS Apprentice expanded to include a one-day conference open to all students at McMaster. The MARS Mix conference, which takes place on campus Monday, March 18, brings together students and professionals with the goal of bridging the academic-industry gap. This year’s conference, which is themed “Marketmorphosis,” will feature marketing professionals from a variety of diverse backgrounds.

The keynote speaker is James Politesky, president of Samsung Canada. Other speakers include Dave Wilkin of Redwood Marketing Agency, Matt Schnnar, creator of Awake Chocolate, Scott Myles of Mosaic Sales Solution and Massimo Noce, a senior director at CIBC.

Students at the conference will have a unique opportunity to interact with the speakers through question and answer periods in both the middle and at the end of each presentation. As well, additional representatives from each company will be on hand to speak directly with students. MARS Mix takes place from 4-9 p.m. in CIBC Hall in the Student Centre.

“These enthusiastic apprentices worked countless hours each week to solve a real business marketing challenge with an implementable campaign,” says business student, president of the DeGroote Marketing Association and MARS Mix chair Chris Gordon. “With MARS Mix, students from all across McMaster will have the opportunity to also connect directly with industry professionals and learn from their experience.”

Tickets for both the MARS Apprentice Closing Ceremonies and MARS Mix are for sale in the DeGroote School of Business lobby. MARS Mix tickets can also be purchased online at marsmix.eventbrite.com and at the door on March 18.