University of Westminster students from the Global Trade and Business BA Honours course recently took part in a work-study trip to Solihull and Wolfsburg, Germany, visiting car manufacturing plants.
The four-day long trip took place at the end of February and was designed to demonstrate the practical application of theoretical concepts taught in the Professional Experience in Global Trade and Business module. The trip was led by Dr Helen Solomon, Senior Lecturer in Economics and Course Leader for the Global Trade and Business BA course, and Dr Thanos Fragkandreas, Lecturer in Organisations, Economy and Society and module leader for Professional Experience in Global Trade and Business.
The students travelled first to visit Land Rover Jaguar in Solihull and participate in a factory tour. During their visit to Land Rover Jaguar, the students were able to learn first-hand about the complexities of car manufacturing as well as about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit on the car production process. This enabled them to deepen and extend their course-based learning about supply chains in the automotive industry.
Travelling further afield, the students visited the Volkswagen headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany. One of the largest car manufacturing plants in the world, more than 46 million vehicles have been manufactured at the Wolfsburg plant since series production began in December 1945. Students were able to engage with senior management at Volkswagen and get a broader perspective on the business side of the car manufacturing process.
After their factory tour at Volkswagen, the students were able to visit Autostadt, a unique automobile ‘city’ attraction connected to the Volkswagen Group. The students visited the exhibitions on display in Autostadt to learn about sustainability and the future of mobility.
Describing the visit to the Volkswagen factory, Dr Helen Solomon said: “Students got a better perspective of the degree global connectedness and the business side of the automotive industry through the factory tour of Volkswagen. They got to engage with top management at Volkswagen for a deeper insight into how the pandemic, and geopolitical and climate changes have affected the automotive industry.”
Reflecting on the trip, one student said: "It was one of the best experiences of my life. I never liked travelling but this was my best trip. Thank you so much for giving us this opportunity.”
Another student commented on the sense of community the trip created: “It was so nice spending time with each other, I think we really got to know each other and become closer.”
Find out more about Business and Management and Economics courses at the University of Westminster.
