Young Enterprise were delighted to welcome teams of young people from schools and colleges across the Southwest to their Company Programme Final in Poole. Generously hosted by Poole Harbour Commissioners, this event provided the opportunity for student teams to compete for awards that recognised their achievements across a range of areas, including Creativity, Innovation, Sustainability, Technology, Teamwork and Contribution to their Local Community.
Lee Hardy, Chairman of Poole Harbour Commissioners, joined the judging panel and commented “PHC recognise the need to encourage young talent and we are delighted to support this event. I was hugely impressed by the enthusiasm, commitment and initiative from all the teams, which made the task of the judges very difficult. Well done to all the participants.”
‘Overall Company of the Year’ was awarded to Pearl from Balcarres School in Gloucestershire who created a Bamboo toothbrush with a removeable head. They will be joined at the UK final in Manchester by Ocean Bloom from Ilfracombe School in North Devon as the Inspiring Futures entry. Their teacher comments that “the impact on the students is immeasurable”.
Young Enterprise CEO, Sarah Porretta, attended the event and met the teams and guests. Sarah commented “As CEO, and a local resident, I am excited to personally congratulate all our Southwest finalists. They have demonstrated great resilience, creativity and innovation throughout their business journey so far and it is hugely important to see such great talent in our region. Huge thank you to the many teachers, supporters and volunteers who have enabled these young people to access this opportunity.”
Fellow judge and supporter Becky Phillips from Evolve presented the runners-up award to POW from St Mary’s Calne school in Wiltshire for their product providing tips for young women to stay safe. Becky had been a judge before but said “I was honestly blown away by these young entrepreneurs, and their exciting and viable start-ups. Evolve is proud to support Young Enterprise, whose ethos fully aligns with our mission to help leaders start and grow and exit their business.”
The Dorset representatives from Bournemouth School for Girls walked away with an award for sustainability for their innovative recycling of sailing and climbing rope to create dog leads. James Mullins from Goonvean Fibres supported this award, which judges agreed showed great use of a product that is otherwise thrown away.
The Growing Green Company from Preston School showed incredible team work to win the contribution to the local community award, supported by Tower Park and presented by Anne Jolliffe. Their product encouraged students from their SEND department to grow a variety of plants and vegetables. In their presentation, the students reflected on their business journey, commenting that they had developed confidence in their ability to develop an idea and sell a product and as well as admitting that not all ideas worked!
Ian Girling from Dorset Chamber presented the ‘Best Presentation’ award to The Growing Green Company and commented “Our young people need encouragement and support from businesses to help equip them with the skills for the future and this project perfectly complements the work we are doing with our Work Explore programme as well as our Future Leaders programme.”
Each student company requires the support from a dedicated local business mentor who offers advice and guidance throughout their enterprise journey. Rachel Barnes from the 288 Group has been a business mentor to a Dorset company and attended the event as a guest while Max Allen, 288 Managing director presented the award for Best marketing. Rachel described the experience as both inspiring and deeply rewarding, expressing her pride in supporting the students throughout their journey. She highlighted the creativity, ingenuity, and resilience they have demonstrated, noting that these qualities will undoubtedly equip them for a bright and successful future in the world of business.
Young Enterprise is deeply grateful to all the supporters, educators and volunteers who make these inspiring entrepreneurship experiences possible for young people across the region. Karl Tucker, Chair of The Great Southwest, attended the event and shares the charity’s passion for supporting young people to develop the skills and mindset for careers within the region, commenting “It was a real pleasure to join the audience at the Young Enterprise Southwest Final in Poole. The quality of each of the projects were of a really high standard. Each company focussed on different aspects of business but their professionalism, enthusiasm as well as a passion for environmental sustainably was particularly pleasing to see. I’m sure we’ll be seeing these young people in business across the region in years to come”.
Next year there are further opportunities for schools and businesses to get involved. More business mentors are needed to make that vital link between education and enterprise skills in the workplace. If you can spare an hour a week to encourage our future talent and entrepreneurs in the making, please do get in touch.
All images courtesy of Young Enterprise
For more information about Young Enterprise’s work in Dorset and further afield in the Southwest, please contact Hannah Cook via [email protected] or Ellie Denno) via [email protected].
