Stories
Upskilling my future
We were able to participate in the Skills for the Future (SFF) programme thanks to our teacher, who helped motivate our team and get us even more excited about the topic. After we told her our business idea she was very supportive, telling us that it was great and we should go for it. So we did.
We were very excited to share our idea and company “Aurelia”. I won’t lie, it wasn’t all easy. We did spend a couple sleepless nights in the name of our project, but I’m sure of one thing: it was all worth it in the end.
The project was called “Safe Roads”, and sought to prevent deadly road accidents during the cold and rainy seasons. The business plan was to install heating cables under the road’s surface that would melt snow and dry rain, ensuring safe roads for all drivers. The cables would be powered by solar panels placed at a safe distance from each other and the roadway.
Our motto was “One road fixed a thousand lives saved!”
The thing I loved most about discovering entrepreneurship is that an entrepreneur can be anybody with a new, fresh, innovative idea – anybody thinking out of the box. Thanks to our entrepreneurial attitudes, supportive teacher and helpful Hyundai mentors our company, Aurelia succeeded in making it to the 2015 European final in Prague, Czech Republic.
I loved everything about the SFF program, but maybe the thing that impressed me the most were the other companies and participants in general. Everyone had amazing ideas and projects, it was great to have so many creative and motivated people in one place – truly a special experience. To top it off there was no negative pressure or energy, despite it being a competition everyone was incredibly friendly and kind. The organisation was well thought out, making it easy for participants to meet each other, making new friends, see the city and still have time to prepare for the competition.
SFF has given me a lot. I learned how to work in a team and even though there were some difficult times, my team and I learned to stick together and work things through. I learned how to be more responsible and organised. Most of all I further developed my leadership skills and self-confidence.
All the skills I learned in SFF will be very helpful for my future, because they are needed in any career and beyond that they’re useful for everyday life.
I would definitely recommend SFF not only to my classmates, but to everyone who is interested in learning about entrepreneurship, STEM and the automotive industry. It’s an amazing experience that everybody should have.
To future SFF students, I want to say: believe in your idea, work really hard to be the best, build a strong and reliable team, and most importantly not to forget to have fun!
Finally, to wrap it up, I wish to speak directly to this year’s SFF participants: Remember that this is one incredible journey you are on, make sure to enjoy the ride! Good luck!
Written by Tsvety Gornishka, an SFF Alumna from Bulgaria.