In June 2012, April Training ran a simulation event at Liverpool University as part of the MSc Management degree, involving the use of Executive to illustrate some of the key business ideas that made up part of the academic study for the course. It was run with over 400 students simultaneously, with participants split into small teams, which competed in leagues of 8 or 9 teams.

The aim of the simulation was to consolidate the business principles taught by the lecturers through active learning, using a realistic model of the current car manufacturing industry as a base. Before the simulation began, the students researched a real manufacturer in detail with focus on its business strategy and company image, in order to gain an appreciation of the industry. The students created posters to present their findings.  They also developed a business plan and strategy for the company they would create within the simulation environment.

The simulation event began with a trial run  to enable the students to get used to the functionality of the software and test out some initial ideas.  With the students confident in using Executive, the real simulation event was launched and the competition began!

Students set up a company from a greenfield site and built up the business over four years (each simulation round is equivalent to one year).  By using a start up scenario participants had free rein to use their ideas for business strategies and see how they played out over the years.  The exercise allowed them to put into practice the skills they had learnt over the degree course, as well as applying their own business intuition and acumen to find innovative solutions. The results were very interesting, with all teams submitting sensible and well thought-through decisions that led to most companies prospering, despite the intense competition within most market sectors.

Congratulations must go to the staff involved at Liverpool University for the superb organisation and smooth running of the programme, despite the large number of students. The simulation will be run in a similar way with next year’s cohort, with numbers set to increase substantially.

April Training are running an event at Liverpool University starting on Friday 10th June, which involves the use of our Executive business training simulation, aiming to give students a new and exciting insight into the world of business and entrepreneurship. This will give the students the chance to test out their business skills and try some new ideas in order to attempt to build up a successful company in the European car manufacturing business. They will use real-life current market data to make the simulation as realistic and believable as possible, and their performance will be assessed by tutors, along with associated paperwork.Executive is designed to be competitive, which increases motivation of the students at Liverpool University, as well as giving them even more reason to carefully their decisions and make sure that their team follows good business principles. They will be competing against 8 other teams, so the students are separated into ‘worlds’. This prevents the markets from becoming saturated and gives everyone a better chance of success.

The simulation programme is intense, lasting just over week, meaning that students only have a short time to get to grips with the principles behind the simulation, as well as learning how to input data and making use of the what-if facility built into Executive. However, the short time period increases engagement with the simulation, and gives the students some experience of the time pressures commonly found in a business environment. It will also test their organisational, time-keeping, teamwork and communication skills; all of which are essential for success in the world of business.

Our team here at April wish them good luck, and as always will be on hand to provide both technical support and a helping hand to any teams who find themselves in difficulties.

International students currently make up over 15% of all University students in the UK, with 43% of all research postgraduates coming to study in the UK from another country. Unfortunately for all these current students, as well as the many more due to join the British Higher Education system in the next few years, the Government is considering new security measures that could reduce the chance of international students gaining a visa, resulting in up to 80,000 less international students every year.

The new regulations will also include more stringent rules on students staying in the UK to work after finishing their degree courses. Currently, through the Post-Study Work scheme, international students can remain in Britain for up to 2 years to gain work experience relating to their degree. However, the Government is imposing a new rule that the international graduates must earn more than £20,000 a year, and have a valid work permit, both of which are very difficult to obtain. This will substantially decrease the number of international students attempting to stay in the UK to work for a short period after university.

Although this is a logical move when it comes to immigration; levels are reaching record highs, and with more people coming to the UK to study than ever before, it makes sense to introduce some measures to control this influx. However, it is also important to note that international students pay much higher fees than other students (between £8,000 and £15,000, compared to slightly over £3000 for UK students), and they are also unable to apply for government financing.  As a result of this, universities gain between 10 and 30% of their income from these international students. This allows for the continued development of the establishments, to the benefit of all.

The total value of international students to the UK economy is approximately £8.5bn (2007).  Surely students should be being encouraged to come to the UK to study, rather than being turned away?  These additional regulations, if enforced by the Government will reduce the total number of international students in the UK, resulting in less funding for universities across the country, less facilities and possible a lower standard of education for students of all levels and backgrounds. This will mean a reduction in innovative learning techniques, including use of business simulations as part of degree courses. The overall British economy will also suffer.

It’s not too long until September comes around again, so if you’re looking for a new and dynamic way to present a business or management module in your establishment (whether it’s a school, college or university), April Training is the best place to get UK based training simulations. Our range of simulations can blend seamlessly into any academic course and they are guaranteed to keep students alert and engaged through the interactive methods and innovative learning style.

Our training simulations can be run either as an intensive course over a few days, or over a longer period. Many of our current academic clients run simulations that last a whole term, and include extra assignments related to the simulation on which grades are based. This is a great way to integrate learning, and assess how well students cope with applying entrepreneurial and business skills to a realistic environment. All of our simulations are based around the current market data so they remain relevant year after year. In Retailer and Executive (our two simulations that are mainly run on large scales) the tutor can adapt the scenario during the simulation by adding additional events to keep everyone on their toes!

Over 70 Universities across the UK and beyond use our simulations, so if your department is looking for a new way to motivate your students (whether they already study business and management or just require an awareness for their intended profession), our simulations are a perfect way to get them inspired about business.

Run as an integrated programme for all three engineering disciplines, students experience running a business simulation over five virtual years in a real-time period of three months from October to December. This is an integral part of the finance module of the engineering students’ second year course and is the perfect way to help them understand more about the skills needed to manage a successful business.

The nature of the exercise highlights the importance of working together in a team, as each participant has their own unique role within the company, from finance manager to CEO. Modelled on the structure of a real corporation, this allows the students to gain a realistic view of the hierarchy in a business and the depth of knowledge that each employee must have. The realism of the academic business simulation thoroughly tests their ability to deal with the uncertainties that are thrown up on a daily basis in the world of commerce. The adjudicators of the module, made up of both a team of industry experts and Manchester University staff, are highly impressed every year with the final presentations and the standard of learning achieved, seeing it as highly relevant to the needs of the world of employment and providing added value to the degree. April Training regularly receives very positive feedback from the students, who find the simulation enjoyable, testing and a great help to them in understanding the sometimes complex world of business and finance.