Objective:
- To develop skills including communication, teamwork, numeracy, problem solving and creativity in level 1, 2 and 3 learners.
- To give learners opportunities to compete in UK-wide enterprise competitions.
Introduction:
In the summer of 2015, four Hairdressing Students, from NE Wales Based FE College Coleg Cambria’s Deeside Site, were crowed winners of Barclays ‘Built for Business’: a UK-wide enterprise competition, targeting Level 1, 2 and 3 students, run as part of Barclays Money Skills ‘Prepare for Work’ programme.
The team was one of only five short-listed from across the UK to compete in the finals, which were held in Barclays’ head offices in Canary Wharf, London.
During their trip, the innovative students had to pitch an original business idea to a panel of expert judges including Chris Hearn, Head of Education at Barclays, and Sylvia Perrins, CEO of the National Skills Academy for Financial Services.
Activity:
Resources and information supporting this activity can be found through the Barclays Money Skills ‘Prepare for Work’ programme.
The competition invited students to work in groups (of between 2 and 4 people), to think of a new, innovative and sustainable business idea. The students were given an imaginary budget (of £10,000) and had to work as a team to produce a plan and pitch for how they would get their idea off the ground.
The winning Coleg Cambria Hairdressing students decided on an idea for a business called ‘Dolly Parting’: providing a full salon service and experience to people with disabilities, to the elderly, and to their carers and support workers.
Figure 1:The winning 'Dolly Parting' Students
Impact:
Lynn Williams, Enterprise Lecturer at Coleg Cambria;
“We are delighted that the Coleg Cambria team won this highly esteemed prize. Competitions like these provide a great opportunity for our students to both develop and showcase their entrepreneurial skills. Dolly Parting’s business idea was every bit as innovative as their team name!”
Learner outcomes:
Lynn Williams, Enterprise Lecturer at Coleg Cambria;
“All of the learners involved in the Built for Business competition have increased their skills in many areas, including communication, teamwork, numeracy, sustainability, problem solving and creativity. The team that won (Dolly Parting) showed a high standard of all of these skills, and we’re extremely proud of them, and of all the learners who took part in the challenge.”
Kelly Meredith, Dolly Parting team member;
“This has given us a lot more confidence, and ideas of what we can achieve after we have finished college.”
Resources:
Barclays Money Skills ‘Prepare for Work’ resources > http://www.barclaysmoneyskills.com/Information/Our-projects/Prepare-for-Work.aspx
References:
- Barclays Money Skills. 2015. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.barclaysmoneyskills.com/. [Accessed 14 December 2015].
- Cambria’s ‘Dolly Parting’ win Barclays Built for Business Final! Coleg Cambria. 2015. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.cambria.ac.uk/news/cambrias-dolly-parting-win-barclays-built-for-business-final/. [Accessed 14 December 2015].
- Entrepreneurship - Coleg Cambria. 2015. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.cambria.ac.uk/about/entrepreneurship/. [Accessed 14 December 2015].