Being sent out at night on the South Downs to solve tasks with a team of people you’ve never met before might seem like a strange way to land the job of your dreams.

But one Westminster student believes she now has the tools – and the data – she needs to stand out from the 600,000 graduates entering the job market every year.

Lorna Kamau who will graduate from the University of Westminster this year with a degree in Economics, was one of hundreds of young people who put their teamwork, planning and communication skills under stress as part of the Gradbridge Award.

The unique scheme, which puts students in touch with top companies including Lloyds Bank, Deloitte and Mars, asks undergrads to complete a series of physically and mentally challenging tasks under pressure with performance data generated by an electronic data chip worn on their wrist.

The data from the three-day challenge, held at the University of Sussex, can then be shared with potential employers to give graduates the edge over their competitors.

And Lorna is convinced that the award will be the ace she needs to land the role she wants after graduating.

“The most appealing aspects for me were the employability and the chance to develop my soft skills,” she said.

“This looked like a great way to enhance these skills. But it also looked really well put together and really professional. There was also the mix of mental and physical development over the short period of time.

“I am hoping to eventually work in finance or multi-lateral and international development like the IMF or the European Commission.

“I felt that taking part in this event would give me a better opportunity of one day making these aspirations into reality.

“It was a real challenge but something which I will be able to look back at with fondness.

“The skills that I have developed over the past three days will help me to hopefully realise my working ambitions as employers will be able to see that I possess the required skills to function perfectly within their setup.”

As well as spending two nights undertaking a series of Krypton Factor-esque challenges, Lorna and her rivals also got the opportunity to chat through key ways to improve their interview technique and CV, and meet some potential employers from a wide range of industries at the AMEX Community Stadium.

Lorna, who comes from Canada Water, added: “I was surprised though that by taking part in the Gradbridge award has allowed me to become more self-aware and introspective.

“I have discovered things about myself which I didn’t realise were even there. All this as well as the chance to speak directly with employer s and find out about the traits and skills they are looking for was an invaluable opportunity for me."

“I think the one thing which I will look to improve on further after Gradbridge is my ability to strategise.

It is such a fundamental thing to any business and I have found that from the first day to the last, I was improving in this skill day on day.”