Following the success of the University of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Management team at the University Trading Challenge (UTC) in New York City last November, the U of L has been chosen as the location for the first UTC to be held in Canada this November.

“We are proud to host the first ever UTC in Canada and we encourage any interested teams to register for the competition. Lethbridge is an ideal location for university teams from across western Canada and the United States,” says Dr. Shamsul Alam, a Faculty of Management professor and the U of L team supervisor.

Last year’s U of L team, consisting of Devin Phalen, Ashley Tymburski, Matthew Helfrich and Michael Kawchuk, competed against a dozen universities and earned first place in the real-time trading part of the competition and second place overall. Alam says the team’s success reflects on the education and training the students receive at the U of L, including experience in the Centre for Financial Market Research & Teaching, or trading room.

Now, the U of L will be providing the same kind of competition experience to student teams when they arrive on campus on Nov. 20. The UTC, now in its fifth year, has previously only been held in London or New York.

“This competition gives students a unique opportunity to test their financial skills in a real-world setting and having participated in a trading challenge will impress potential employers,” says Alam.

The 2015 UTC includes a month-long portfolio management precursor with one full day of live competition in the trading room. In addition, students will hear from a guest speaker.

The challenge, open to full-time students in finance, economics and allied programs, gives teams the chance to participate in a trading challenge, a portfolio challenge, an investment banking challenge and a case competition.

Interested students are encouraged to form a team and use the online registration form for the UTC. An early bird registration discount is available until Oct. 1.

Industry sponsorship is still available; contact Clayton Varjassy or call 403-332-4121 for more information.