Business people helped Bath College students sharpen their skills in its Business and Accounting Challenge.
The students had to work under pressure to impress judges drawn from firms across the city. Nearly 40 students studying business and accounting took part in the three-hour challenge in the Futures Hub, sponsored by NatWest.
The challenge was led by Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) marketing executive Jack Henman.
Groups were given a tight timescale to produce a SWOT analysis and presentation responding to a real-life business scenario.
The winning team included Lisa Plenderleith, Danielle Damen, Edward Dooley, Oliver George, Charles Oliver-Cork and Muhammed Kizilboga.
They were chosen by a panel of judges made up of Peter White, from the Royal United Hospital, Chris Hanney from Barclays, Neil Whittemore from Curo, Desmond Doherty and Ryan Taylor from NatWest, Iain Black of Monahans, and Gemma Stock from the Bath Building Society.
Mr Henman said: “It’s important to show students what it’s like to be a chartered accountant. A lot of employers have fed back to us that some students don’t know what’s expected of them in the workplace.
“They are looking for a whole array of different skills, including soft skills like team building, verbal communication and decision making. This challenge is preparing them for work on a daily basis, and it’s something that they can talk about in interviews because they’ll have the certificates for their CVs.
“The students are really determined. They have put in a lot of work and have taken to the task well. They all have individual skills and are showing them off by taking on specific tasks.”
Students studying business and accounting have the opportunity to work with local companies through the Bath College Academy of Business.
Last year students studying business and accounting came second in the regional heat for the ICAEW Base accounting challenge at Oxford University.
Student and winning team member Muhammed Kizilboga said: “I thought it was a great challenge. It taught us how to be an accountant for a day and showed us what it would be like to choose accountancy as a career path.
“I want to be a chartered accountant, and doing this challenge confirmed that I’m making the right choice. It stretched us as a team, but it was achievable when we worked together.”
Pictured: The Business and Accounting Challenge winning team and judges
