In the latest phase of the Business School’s Practice Weeks programme, a team of 20 first year students selected an awareness campaign that would support and assist the Foodbank, a charity providing emergency food supplies to families, with their operations as their chosen project

The first of three Practice Weeks in the 2013/14 academic year, launched last November with an examination of the effects of the reduction in Government benefits spending on claimants, which has arguably led to more people depending on Foodbank hand-outs.

The second event, held in January, saw Mayor of Luton and Foodbank board member, Councillor Sheila Roden, listen to students’ ideas on how to raise the profile of the charity.

Most recently, Sharon Curtis, Tesco’s UK Foodbank Operations Manager, briefed students on how the supermarket chain assists the Foodbank movement, from distributing food to welfare agencies to organising in-store collections for local Foodbanks across the country, as a means of redistributing food after its ‘best before’ dates instead of sending it to landfill.

“Food waste is a huge issue and Tesco's ambition is to take a stand as a leading retailer in reducing food waste globally,” said Sharon.

“Part of Tesco’s aim is to equip young people with the skills and knowledge to live healthier lifestyles and to reduce the amount of food waste generated each year. I was delighted to work with the students here at the University of Bedfordshire and see the inspiring work their project is producing."

Following Sharon’s visit at the start of the latest Practice Week, Students were inspired to generate Foodbank awareness by building a pyramid of tinned food, donated by the University’s students and staff, at the Luton Campus Centre.

Mike Kennedy, Principal Tutor in Management and Business Systems at the University, added: “These Practice Weeks, which were introduced in the 2013/14 academic year, are a major theme running through all our undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the Business School, and generate enormous student commitment and interest.

“They are designed to provide students with more ‘hands on’ experience of real organisations, and to put the theory they have been taught into practice. This can only stand them in good stead when applying for jobs in business after graduating.”