Over the next three months, 11 students from Salford Business School will compete in the Association for Project Management (APM) Project Management Challenge, working in collaboration with Housebuilding Innovations in Volume, Environment and Efficiency (HIVEE) and Barratt Homes.
The hands-on project gives students the opportunity to collaborate with industry partners and pitch ideas that address supply chain risk and sustainability within the housebuilding sector. The projects are supported by HIVEE, a research group launched by Salford Business School that brings together researchers and housebuilders to meet evolving industry requirements around efficiency, sustainability and innovation. Students will also work with Barratt Homes, an award-winning UK housebuilder focused on delivering high-quality, efficient and sustainable homes for communities across the country.
To be selected for the challenge, students voluntarily formed teams of up to five and submitted industry-led proposals. Two teams were chosen for the final round by the project sponsors and APM, based on the strength and relevance of their proposals. The two teams selected, Agile Minds and Green Energy, will present their projects to a panel of judges and an audience of industry experts.
Agile Minds will propose a quantifiable supply chain risk management (SCRM) framework, designed to deliver a transparent and traceable approach to measuring supply chain risk mitigation actions.
Siavash Moshtaghi, MSc Project Management student and member of the Agile Minds team, said: “I’m genuinely excited and honoured to have been selected. It’s a great validation of the hard work our team has put in. This challenge offers something different, the chance to tackle an actual business problem with real constraints and stakeholders. It’s about future-proofing businesses.”
Green Energy will focus on tools and frameworks to measure supply chain performance, including mapping how materials move through the system and providing clearer insight into interactions between manufacturers and end users.
Chinyere Umeh, MSc Project Management student and member of the Green Energy team, said: “The APM challenge is a valuable opportunity to apply my project management knowledge in a real-world context. A sustainable supply chain is important for businesses to help reduce risks, control costs, and ensure long-term resilience.”
Through the challenge, students will bridge the gap between academic study and professional practice, supporting businesses to make informed, long-term decisions.
Dr Aaron Robertson, Lecturer in Supply Chains, Logistics and Project Management and Research Lead for Housebuilding Supply Chains, said he felt “proud” of the students taking part: “By volunteering for this challenge, students have stepped outside traditional assessment and into a live, industry-led project environment.
“Seeing them act confidently and professionally with industry sponsors, while applying strategic thinking throughout the process, has been particularly rewarding. These experiences help them stand out in a competitive job market and give them strong evidence when discussing their capabilities with future employers.”
The APM challenge meets Salford Business School’s commitment to deliver great student experience and opportunities by giving students first-hand experience of how sustainability principles are embedded into large-scale developments and organisational decisions.
Winners of the challenge will be invited to an awards ceremony in May and formally recognised with an award for their project and hard work.