Speaker: Ben Illingworth, Procurement Director at Jaguar Land Rover and University of Birmingham alum (BSc Business Management with Year in Industry)
There are lots of skills and attributes that are important in the area that I work in, but first and foremost, developing and launching one of our luxury vehicles is one of the biggest team games in the world. So, having people onside who are genuine, natural collaborators—able to work with high levels of unity across the enterprise, play their own part effectively, and deliver these vehicles to the market—is a key skill that we're looking for.
It's really important for students to spend their time at university developing these attributes. It's a really unique time in their overall career journey—a chance to invest in their own development and capability to make them as employable as possible when they enter the job market.
By the time you get into the world of work, you're moving at a million miles an hour, and while everyone can invest in people's development, having that core set of capabilities by the time you graduate will really put students at the top of the pile.
University is a unique opportunity for students to get involved in additional activities, beyond their academic studies, to develop these attributes and make themselves as employable and attractive as possible in the world of industry. Being able to combine both world-class academic training with industry-relevant attributes and skills will really make these students stand out as they enter the workforce.
UoB Xtra is a new program of activities being launched across the summer, with the aim of allowing students to develop these attributes.
Being future-focused is incredibly important in the world that I work in because what we're seeing now is a pace of technological change like never before. Having people who can look beyond the immediate, into the future, understand the megatrends, anticipate where the industry is going, and work in a way that allows us to be first to market—developing those skills is extremely valuable for students.