MSc students visit Barcelona as part of Leaders of Tomorrow programme

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A number of master’s students visited Barcelona from 4th-6th July as part of the Management School’s ‘Leaders of Tomorrow’ programme.

Leaders of Tomorrow includes students from across the MSc programmes who achieved the highest results in their studies.  The initiative has also seen students take part in an employer visit to Jaguar Landrover, trips, employability workshops and leadership seminars which all aim to improve teamwork, communication, networking and leadership skills. 

The recent trip to Barcelona, the southern gateway to Europe and centre of an emerging economic Eurozone, was the culmination of the programme for this year and included a visit to SEAT automotive manufacturing factory in Martorell.  Students were given an informative tour of the factory which illustrated the scale of the operation and the logistic and skills required to produce cars for a global market on a daily basis. 

The trip also included a visit to Familia Torres Winery, a family run business, to allow students to see both ends of the business spectrum.  Torres Winery has combined tradition and innovation to become a benchmark winery in the quality wine and brandies sector. A one hour business lecture provided insight into this sector and how the company operates on an international scale.  It also focused on the family culture of the organisation and their commitment to the environment.  The session concluded with a tour of the winery, wine tasting and an open discussion between the tour guide and students. 

Response to the Leaders of Tomorrow programme has been overwhelmingly positive.  Syeda Sabreena Zaman, MSc International Business student, said “The presentation at Familia Torres was so interesting and I could actually relate it to the theories I have learned during the MSc.  We also got to see the car-making process with advanced technology at SEAT.  Both of the industry visits were very interesting and totally different from each other which is why I enjoyed them even more!”

Sadie Lawty, MSc Careers Advisor, commented: “The trip provided our students with a fantastic opportunity to learn about how companies outside of the UK operate.  It has given them a global outlook and has better equipped them to start their careers in whichever country they choose.

“We know that employers look for well-rounded people with a mixture of academic achievements and employability skills, so this trip will have undoubtedly helped students further their careers”.