A group of engineering students at the University of Aberdeen have turbocharged their launch into the jobs race by presenting a winning business case for investment at the Formula Student race at Silverstone.
Team Aberdeen University (TAU) Racing were in competition both on and off the track with universities and colleges from around the world last Saturday, to race a car they had built from scratch and also present it as a potential investment opportunity to a panel of judges.
The students were well prepared for the business presentation after giving a Dragon’s Den-style pitch to their primary sponsor ADIL, ahead of the F1 inspired event. Executives from the energy consultancy mentored the team this year to prepare them for the rigorous questioning they faced about their project management and future investment plans as part of the Formula Student competition.
Matt Huntington, general manager of technical at ADIL said: “In the face of a growing shortage of engineers coming through, it’s important the industry finds ways to help young people gain experience in the business side of an organisation, such as marketing, health and safety, and people management.
“The confidence the students gain by being part of TAU Racing will be invaluable for when they finish university and start looking for jobs; it will really set them apart.”
TAU Racing were under pressure to steer their business presentation in the right direction, as this year they had developed their most technologically advanced car yet. Named TAU 14, the car includes an electronic control unit (ECU) which operates through a mobile phone app which the team developed.
Calum Paterson, project manager of TAU Racing said: “We know that by pitching our ECU system well we really strengthened our chances for a win. After our mentoring from ADIL, we felt more confident than ever that we could present a strong business case as ambitious entrepreneurs, as well as dedicated engineers.”