Ingenious 'Girly Gadget' developed by young entrepreneurs

Over 120 students from Abingdon and Witney College, recently took part in an exciting Dragon’s Den style competition held at the Unipart Conference Centre, Cowley, as part of a new three day, business enterprise programme.

Participating students aged 16-19 years old who entered the competition called ‘Take the Plunge’, were divided into twenty teams of six and immersed in the world of business planning and decision-making in order to create, develop and finally ‘pitch’ their product or service to the judges.

The winning team called ‘Go Team Burkis’ developed the idea of manufacturing a pink version of the traditional swiss-army knife – a multi-tasking tool for girls equipped with six different make-up tools.

The students had not worked together before forming ‘Go Team Burkis’ at the start of the competition, and their team comprised of: Curt Pacson, Jemima Kerr, Laura Bricknell, Stephanie Grant, Tom Ward and Victoria Skinner.

The winning students explained: “The best part of the whole event has been the teamwork, meeting new students and coming out of college into a real business environment.  It’s been helpful to see what it’s like in the adult world of work.”

The runner-up teams, ‘4KN’ devised a see-through toaster so that allows the user to see how well done the toast is, and ‘T1K’ created a tracking device called the Pear which can be attached to anything that is likely to get lost (phone, keys, passport etc.) so that it can be tracked by the owner.

‘Take the Plunge’ attracted support from 14 of Oxfordshire’s most prestigious employers.  Local employers such as: UKAEA, Deloitte, BT and Withy King committed themselves to this ground breaking competition by acting both as independent mentors and judges.

The teams of students were asked to consider all the essential elements of business planning in order to develop a viable new business including; market research, finance, marketing, people and operations, before pitching their rationale and final business idea to the panel of experts.

The winning team ‘Go Team Burkis’ was presented with £200 and both  'runner-up' teams called ‘4KN’ and ‘T1K’ were given £100, to share between them. 

“The prize money at stake is appealing but the learning curve and experience of participating in this entrepreneurial business competition leaves everyone the richer!” commented Jenny Craig, Business Lecturer and college co-ordinator of this event.

“The toughest issue facing students leaving education, is the huge wave of young people that all land on the job market at the same time. What ‘Take the Plunge’ is about, is giving them a practical head start, so they can take control of their lives and ride ahead of the wave into the career they want.” explained Jenny Craig.

 “From all the feedback I have received so far, I know our students benefited greatly by having the opportunity to tap into a rich seam of knowledge provided by some of Oxfordshire’s most accomplished business people. The whole point about ‘Take the Plunge’ was to bridge the gap between academia and the business world.  We believe that developing a better understanding of real business practice will stimulate and inspire a greater entrepreneurial spirit in our young learners”

The award winning event was organised in collaboration with renowned training consultants, The Working Knowledge Group, a company committed to narrowing the gap between education and the workplace, who have already staged 29 such successful events across the country.

James Lott, Sales and Marketing Director of Working Knowledge said:  "We are committed to narrowing the gap between education and the workplace; raising the aspirations and employability skills of students, and opening the eyes of employers to how young people can help drive business success in a rapidly changing economic environment."

Jenny went on to explain: “We are committed to strengthening links with our local employers and have identified role models from the local business community who raise student aspirations and boost confidence. Students can look at their mentors and think – I am just like you, and I am going to succeed”.

The mixed group of 120 Level 3 students entering ‘Take the Plunge’ are currently studying across a wide range of curriculum areas in Business, Childcare Health and Social Care thus helping to develop cross-college networking. 

Abingdon and Witney College, already an ‘Action for Business College’ funded this pilot study themselves, as part of their key skills enrichment programme of activities.  

You’ll find all the ‘A’ level and National Diploma courses listed in the prospectus available at your local library and on the web www.gotocollege.co.uk.  If you’re still not sure which course is right for you, phone the college on 01235 555 585 or 01993 703 464, to discuss your options in more depth.