More than twenty Mechanical Engineering and Automotive Engineering students from the Faculty of Creative Arts, Technologies & Science (CATS) were treated to a behind-the-scenes look around the facility in Birmingham. During the private tour, the students were able to get a glimpse of the company’s state-of-the-art production techniques and discover more about the development of Land Rover cars.

Dr Mina Mortazavi, Lecturer in Engineering, was one of the academics who accompanied the students on this exciting trip. Talking about the experience, she said: “Our students not only have access to bespoke teaching and experimental resources but also have industry opportunities, such as this Jaguar Land Rover visit, to gain real-life experience. They are able to visit modern manufacturing sites and technology centres throughout their studies which help put their theory into practice – and Jaguar’s manufacturing facility is just one of our top industrial destinations.”

As part of the course curriculum, students have a minimum of two industry visits per academic year, and this day out was a great development opportunity for students to experience different aspects of the challenging yet rewarding engineering environment, including automotive design, manufacturing and testing systems.

Akash Patel, who is studying Automotive Engineering, spoke about how the experience will benefit his studies: “I found this trip to be a good insight into the industry standards set by these type of employers. It enabled me to get a good understanding of how a successful company like Jaguar operates at such a high level. Personally, the tour around the factory for me was the highlight of the trip, as I got to see how Jaguar deploys their robots in a working environment!”

This visit is just one of the many valuable insights into future careers and industries provided to students by the University across its wide range of courses. Earlier this year a group of students studying Media Make-Up & Character Design and Make-Up for Fashion & Media were given a hands-on wig workshop with a stylist from the Royal Opera House, while Bedfordshire’s Business School recently partnered with global ICT leader, Wisetek UK, to run a marketing competition which saw students visiting the company’s headquarters to contribute to a new digital marketing plan.

Click here to apply to study at the University of Bedfordshire this September.