'Skyrocket' your career: find the perfect MBA match at Brussels events this September

The uncertain period we're living through has been an opportunity to reassess priorities and rethink the direction we're heading in. For international professionals in Belgium, faced with an uncertain jobs market, now could be the ideal time to future-proof your career with a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

Travel restrictions and distancing rules have spurred business schools all over the world to reinvent their teaching methods, become much more flexible and place greater emphasis on distance learning, helping you fit your studies around other commitments. Some schools have even launched courses specifically addressing how to do business in a pandemic, focusing on the skills that managers need to thrive in these turbulent times.

With such a wide range of schools and programmes offering postgraduate business education in English, choosing the right one may be difficult. Yet, help is at hand. Access MBA is a match-making event, putting aspiring business leaders in contact with admissions directors from the world's leading universities and business schools, including local names such as Vlerick and UC Louvain's BMI.

"Brussels is one of the top markets in the business education sector," says Nikolet Komitska, one of the event's organisers. "There's a lot of local schools that offer amazing programmes. There's always a good time to start an MBA. It skyrockets your career." A 2018 study by the Graduate Management Admission Council found the majority of MBA alumni felt "their education advanced their careers at a faster rate".

When the coronavirus shutdown hit, Access MBA's organisers had already adapted to the "new normal". Four years earlier, they had developed a purpose-built online platform to enable virtual One-to-One meetings between school representatives and prospective students. As a result, this year's Brussels events offer you the choice: you can either meet in-person at Brussels' Steigenberger Hotel on 15 and 16 September, or instead opt for a personalised face-to-face session online.

"We're giving people the choice of the best way for them," Komitska adds. "We want them to feel comfortable. Whether that's on site or online, it's still going to be the same format, they're not going to miss anything."

The events are open to anyone who has decided to pursue a Masters, MBA or Executive MBA in English, has done some initial research, but needs a personalised steer in the direction. The Access MBA and Masters events are designed to help prospective applicants find the programme that corresponds to their preferences, personality and ambitions.

As well as discussing your needs with admissions directors, it's also an opportunity to find out about the MBA admissions process in general, possible scholarships and other funding options. It's important to register (for free) at least 10 days beforehand, to allow the organisers to carefully match your profile with the right schools and programmes.

Access MBA in Brussels is organised by Advent Group, which since 2004 has helped introduce 70,000 prospective MBA candidates to admissions directors at hundreds of top-rated international business schools.

Access MBA, Steigenberger Hotel, Avenue Louise 71, Brussels

• Masters event: 16 September (online)
  
• MBA and EMBA event: 16 September (in-person) and 19 September (online)