Lancaster University teams scooped top prizes in both the first year and second year competitions of this year’s Tech Industry Gold Live! event, held earlier this month.

Teams of students from Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) and the Faculty of Science & Technology (FST) attended the live event in Birmingham which brings together employers and educators to develop the digital talent needed by industry.

For this year’s Tech Titans competition, students were challenged to set up a safety programme for their university campus using drones and their service and security capabilities. Each team had five minutes to pitch their ideas to the panel of top employer judges, followed by five minutes of questioning by the panel. The winning teams received £600, a trophy, and were awarded an additional Tech Industry Gold credential.

The annual competition forms part of Lancaster University’s first-year Management & Information Technology (MIT) programme, as TechSkills, a techUK organisation and the parent company for Tech Industry Gold, accredits Lancaster’s MIT degree programme, giving students the chance to attend TechSkills events and conferences, and benefit from networking opportunities with employers.

First-Year 1^st Place Team with judges (L-R: Tokeer Ahmed (judge), Toby Oates (judge), Samantha Dicken (judge), Murtaza Ghous, Kei Sasaki, Hamza Mohamoud)

First-year MIT students Hamza Mohamoud, Kei Sasaki, and Murtaza Ghous were crowned winners of the first-year student category above four other UK teams; and second-year students, Siwon Baik and William Sargent, scooped the top prize in the second/final-year student category, above three other teams from across the UK.

Murtaza Ghous said: “I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to compete in the TechSkills event and to showcase my skills in front of such a talented group of participants and employers. Winning the competition has given me a renewed sense of confidence in my abilities and has inspired me to continue pushing myself to be the best I can be in the tech industry.”

Second-/Final-Year 1^st Place Team with judges. (pictured L-R: Matt Wallwork (judge), Rahul Saini (judge), Will Sargent, Siwon Baik, Joel Thomas (judge), Krisityana Raycheva (judge), Nicola Drury (judge))

Siwon Baik said: “Will and I both valued this opportunity because it allowed us to step out of our comfort zones and meet employers and employees working in the tech division.

“Presenting the pitch was not as bad as we expected; it went smoothly and we answered the questions calmly. We enjoyed the employer village and talking to judges after presenting our pitch. It is common for university students to struggle to discover how the skillset gained through the course applies in industry, but interactive sessions like the Employer Village helped us navigate the links between our academic skills and career choices.”

Lancaster University students also received ‘spot prizes’ in the form of mentoring and coaching opportunities from event sponsor, Capgemini. Kei Sasaki, a member of the first-year team, received a spot prize for his energy and articulation during this presentation. Richard Lau, a member of another first-year student team, received a spot prize for his empathy and encouragement toward his team members.

Vicky Metcalf, Careers Coach in LUMS’ Organisation, Work & Technology department, said: “It has been great to give our students the chance to go on this journey.

“All year they have been working hard to understand the tech industry, project management, and consultancy in action - and the results from TIG Live speak for themselves! Thanks to guest speakers and guest judges along the way, our students have practised innovating, researching, networking, team working, pitching and winning! We are extremely thankful to TechSkills for such a fantastic chance to flex our muscles!”

Kelly Nicholls, CEO of TechSkills, said: “We were delighted to see Lancaster University students and staff attending our Tech Industry Gold Live! event at Edgbaston Stadium and very pleased to see two teams win our Tech Titans national competition. Lancaster University is a valued partner within our Tech Industry Gold community who fully embraces the opportunities we provide, and we look forward to seeing further student success in 2024.”

Find out more about LUMS’ Organisation, Work and Technology department and our range of study options here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/our-departments/organisation-work-and-technology/