Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) is to hold the UK’s largest student business competition. The annual contest FLUX is now running for the seventh time with the purpose to promote entrepreneurship and to link education and work. Lancaster University has won the license to host FLUX for the next three years.
“Having competed in FLUX two years ago, representing Lancaster University in London I know just how important and prestigious this event is,” said LUSU President Joel Pullan. “To have it at our University this year is a brilliant opportunity to showcase Lancaster, the Management School and the campus. The competition is fantastic for networking with others, and for giving you the skills to become more employable.”
This fast-paced competition will take place in April 2014. So far, 60 universities from all over the country have expressed their interest. The contest is open to any degree, any course and any year of study. Students need to manifest excellent teamwork, leadership, time management and presentation skills to complete the task and to impress in the pitching.
Participants will form teams of six. They will have less than 31 hours to develop a solution for a business challenge. Around 40 expert organizations, including members of LUMS itself, will provide them with advice. At the end, a committee of business experts will pick the winner. However, not only the strategy itself, but more importantly the strategy-development will get judged. The prize for the winner has not been decided yet – last year it was £500 for the leading team.
“This competition, which sees the best student business minds putting their skills to the test, is the most prestigious contest of its type and it is a real coup for Lancaster University to host it for the next three years,” Lyndsey Egerton, the University’s FLUX co-ordinator, told SCAN.
“Lancaster University has a strong reputation of working closely with businesses of all sizes to provide real-world impact and contribute to growth in the regional and national economy,” Egerton added. “The FLUX competition compliments the university’s excellence in business engagement and will help develop the careers prospects of the next generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders.”
The competition is organized by the Working Knowledge Group. On its website, the Group presents itself as a “…passionate social enterprise providing opportunities for young people in further education to excel and be spotted by the employers…we help to prepare the next generation for the world of work…”.
