Case Study

To increase her employability skills, Jennifer is leading the way on the University of Sunderland's entry into the Formula Student project. Formula Student is Europe's most established educational motorsport competition, run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, which aims to inspire and develop enterprising and innovative young engineers.

Universities from across the world are challenged to design and build a single-seat racing car from scratch. This includes every element of the design and cost analysis through to the building and testing. At the end of the project we will take part in a race-off at Silverstone racing track in competition with other UK entries.

The project has been fantastic in terms of building up experience from electronic design and shaping concepts, to rolling up my sleeves and doing manual work. I am also co-running Formula Student at Sunderland, which is also building my project management skills. While I get all the theory I need during my degree studies, this project provides a hands-on application of what I am learning.

Studying at Sunderland has created so many opportunities and I have taken up every one. I wanted to use my time at university to make me the best person possible at the end, so that I would be more attractive to future employers and hopefully walk into a job when I graduate."