Sidcot Means Business!
Students have completed their second consecutive year in the Young Enterprise Programme which is open to Sixth Formers.
After achieving third place in the regional final last year, this year's team of finalist students won an award for best trade stand at The Mall, Cribbs Causeway, in February.
Managing Director of this year's company, Piers Langford (L6), says: "It's been a great experience working with this team and building a business from scratch. It has certainly been an eye opening opportunity that has given me a richer business knowledge. I am planning on studying business at university so this experience has been invaluable to me."
Young Enterprise is the UK's leading charity that empowers young people to harness their personal and business skills. The aim is to develop a connection between school and the work place enabling young people to develop the knowledge and attitudes they need to suceed building on 8 key skills: communication, confidence, financial capability, initiative, organisation, problem solving, teamwork and resilience.
Each school works closely with a centre lead teacher and an external business adviser. The programme involves the basic principles of setting up a company, holding weekly board meetings, identifying a product, designing a logo, business planning, marketing and selling. The year-long programme includes selling at designated venues in and around Bristol, Dragons Den type scenarios and PowerPoint presentations.This extra-curricular course encourages entrepreneurial skills and provides the opportunities for students to develop both personally and work as board members of a company. Forming links with both North Somerset and Bristol businesses is an important factor which provides part of the learning process.
Alison Whitewood from Langford, whose background is in commercial design, having worked for both Marks and Spencer and local company Yeo Valley, has worked closely with the students from Sidcot School over the past two years as their business adviser to the Young Enterprise Programme. Last year's Sidcot team recycled wine bottles to make cheese platters winning third place in the south west regional final. This year's group, again south west finalists, converted silver cutlery into circular napkin rings and aptly named the company 360 Degrees. The team were sponsored by Burnett and Hillman Engineers of Wrington, North Somerset who helped them to design the tooling to create the product. At the area final at Kings Weston House, Bristol, earlier this month Alison was presented with the Best Business Adviser Award for the West of England Board 2017. This award was sponsored by Bristol Public Relations Company JBP.
To find out more about both the Young Enterprise Programme visit www.young-enterprise.co.uk
Pictured above are some of the finalist students from this year's 360 Degrees company team with Business Adviser Alison Whitewood.
Pictured below: Alison Whitewood receiving her award from JBP at Kings Weston House, Bristol.
