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

Frazer Anderson, 22, who will graduate from Bournemouth University next year with a degree in Forensic Investigation, 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 Frazer is convinced that the award will be the ace he needs to land the role he wants after graduating.

"I liked the idea that the event wasn’t solely academic and the focus was on the soft skills and the aim was to enhance them by throwing you into different teams and different scenarios" he said.

"It didn’t matter who you arrived with – you had to get to know people on a daily basis, which is in my opinion more representative of the working world.

"The main thing I will be able to take away with me is how to effectively operate in teams.

"Even at this event, you have many different personalities and backgrounds and this is a great way to learn these skills ahead of going into the workplace."

As well as spending two nights undertaking a series of Krypton Factor-esque challenges, Frazer and his 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.

Frazer added: "It is so important that I do what I can to boost my CV in any way possible and show off the soft skills learnt at Gradbridge to potential employers to give me the edge."