SMMT is working with Autocar magazine as it issues a UK-wide call for undergraduate students to enter its 2010 Next Generation Award. The aim of the award is to identify and inspire the automotive industry leaders of tomorrow and assist them with their careers. The award is open to undergraduates from any British university and was launched last year to high industry acclaim.
Candidates must provide a plausible written answer to a tough industry-related question and survive a Dragons’ Den-style panel interview. The winner will be announced at the SMMT Annual Dinner at The London Hilton on Park Lane on Tuesday 23 November.
They will receive a £7,500 cash prize and an extensive programme of work experience provided by the award’s blue-chip sponsors: Honda UK, the Marshall Motor Group, Peugeot, Mercedes-Benz Retail and Toyota GB. Five runners-up will receive comprehensive career advice and guidance, networking opportunities and further assistance with work experience.
“We were delighted with the quality of the entrants last year and we’re expecting even more this year,” said Steve Cropley, Autocar editor-in-chief. “The automotive business – especially in Britain – is a fantastic place to launch a career. It needs huge quantities of the very qualities young people have to offer: energy and fresh thinking.”
SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt commented, “This is an extremely exciting time to be working in the UK motor industry, whether it’s in design, development and manufacture or retail, service and repair. The shift to ultra-low carbon technology is bringing significant change and attracting the highest calibre of people is the only sure way to promote and strengthen our sector in the years ahead. SMMT is committed to sustaining a vibrant UK motor industry that offers high value jobs and exciting careers. We are pleased to be working with Autocar and Courland to help identify the next generation of automotive leaders.”
