Students get business lessons during Enterprise Week

Preston College students have been getting advice and information from the region’s businesses as part of Enterprise Week.

The week, aimed at getting students to think differently about the world of work, their own business ideas and how they can achieve more, featured guest speakers from a range of businesses, community groups and charities who all came to share their experience and help students get to grips with business.

Talks and sessions were run by a wide range of different organisations including Northcote Manor, Soap Media, Bluestreak Arts, PEG Marketing, 3ManFactory, Dance Syndrome, the Katy Holmes Trust and many more throughout the week.

The week also saw the final of the college’s Coffeemat Challenge which aimed to unlock students’ business ideas through a series of business related challenges and workshops and cumulated in a presentation of their business idea to a panel including Norman Tenray, Obas group managing director and former student and entrepreneur, Kirsty Henshaw, together with senior management from the college.

Alex Haslam, 18, winner of the Coffeemat Challenge with his 'indie Unite' business idea, received a prize of £2,000 cash to help boost their business idea, a laptop and support to help get the business off the ground.

indie Unite is a web portal for the gaming industry that would connect individuals with games development, animation and coding skills with companies looking for those skills and Alex impressed the panel with his research and projections.

On his success, Alex said: "I've enjoyed the whole process of the Coffeemat Challenge and pitching the idea to the panel was really exciting. I was nervous about giving my presentation but I just took a deep breath and went for it.

"Now that I've won, I want to focus on getting the word out and developing the business with the support of the College and by using the prize money."

Carl Speight, vice-principal for engagement and enterprise at Preston College added: “The enterprise week and the Coffeemat Challenge were important for us in setting out what we are trying to achieve with people who study here; real opportunities for making a real impact in their chosen industry be that through employment or self employment.”