Inaugural B&FC Project Management Conference hailed a success

A conference by students at Blackpool and The Fylde College’s Project Management Centre of Excellence has been praised by industry figures.

B&FC’s Project Management Centre of Excellence won the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education 2015 for its technical and professional work in partnership with employers - and students and staff were keen to launch an annual event which continued to build those relationships.

The conference was titled Professionalism in Project Management and was designed to enable students to exchange a wide range of ideas and provide a platform to explore the concepts related to professionalism within the project management industry. It also presented a networking opportunity for students with representatives from local and national businesses.

Engagement manager Tracie Birch, from the B&FC Project Management Centre of Excellence, said: “This was a fantastic event which allowed our students to gain experience of hosting a conference, while networking with experienced project management professionals.”

One keynote speaker at the event was graduate Alex Guarracino who recently joined B&FC colleague Russ Halton as the first college-based students ever to have their work commended at the international Undergraduate Awards, known as the ‘Junior Nobel Prize’.

Alex, 24, from Fulwood, works on the multi-billion BAE Systems Typhoon programme and his presentation on his research into passion and motivation in project management was well received by those in attendance.

He said: “I thought it was a really good event – the format designed by the students was excellent and gave everyone the opportunity to get involved.

“There were people there from Rolls Royce, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and BAE Systems and it was good for those companies to have the opportunity to come up to the College and engage directly with students and tutors.” B&FC’s Lancaster University-validated Project Management BSc (Hons) programme has produced more than 200 graduates to date, with around 60 per cent receiving First Class honours compared to a national average of 16 per cent.