Success at Micro Internship Event for International Tourism Management student

The Micro Internship event formed part of Leeds Beckett’s 2023 Challenge week run by Beckett Careers. The day was organised by Katie Fawley, Team Leader of the Placement Team and was facilitated by our University partner, Common Purpose who brought along Arjun Pandala, Director of Sales at the TAJ Hotels. 

Mr Pandala set students a challenge to find new ways of engaging in person with corporate clients, following a noticeable reduction after the pandemic. The challenge was open to students across the university with a prize of £1000 for the winning team.

At the start of the day students were put into groups with a cross section of students from different courses and year groups. Facilitated by Sara and Becky from Common Purpose, they completed a number of ice breakers to encourage team work, help them get to know each other and start them thinking creatively. 

Just before lunch, each group received details of the challenge set by Mr Pandala. This gave them time to think about the questions they wanted to put to him when they virtually met him at the start of the afternoon session.  

After asking their questions, the groups went away to discuss their thoughts and ideas before presenting their suggestions and recommendations back to Mr Pandala. Each group had 3 minutes to present back. As a result, the TAJ Hotels now have four different ideas to explore further to address their ongoing challenge.

At the end of the day each student who took part in the challenge was awarded a cash amount in recognition of their participation and contribution to what was a successful employer challenge event.  

By taking part in this Micro Internship event, students were given the chance to consult on a real-life issue which is affecting the hotel industry. It also helped them to develop their group working skills and confidence in presenting back their ideas, as well as boosting their CV’s.

We caught up with International Tourism Management student, Lisa to find out how the experience helped her to put her learning into practice.

“Being validated by a leading representative of such a prestigious brand as Taj hotels felt fantastic, and putting my studies and industry experience into practice was a challenge I thoroughly enjoyed. 

My research prior to the event, leading the team and pitching my proposed idea was a real boost in confidence that I'm on the right track.

I couldn't have asked for a better group of women to work with, everyone was engaged, committed, and had their voices heard. Personal feedback such as a great leader and collaborator amongst the team was almost as good as the pitch win.

Thank you for the opportunity, and can I request more of these please!”

To find out more about the opportunities available on our courses visit the School of Events, Tourism & Hospitality Management website.