17th November 2009

WHILE multimillionaires continue to search for budding entrepreneurs on one of the nation’s favourite television programmes this week, closer to home Exeter College will be holding a Dragon’s Den-style event of its own – the first of two events taking place on campus as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week.
The Dragons on this occasion will not be TV heroes James Caan, Duncan Bannatyne, Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden, but rather four representatives of local businesses and firms and Exeter College who have kindly given up their time to listen to the students’ pitches.
In total, around 15 groups will take part in the event which is taking place in Victoria House, Queen Street, Exeter, throughout the afternoon of Thursday, November 19.
All aged 17 and 18 and studying courses at the College ranging from A levels in Business and Accounting to BTEC Nationals in Computing and Business and First Diplomas in Business Studies, the students will have only a matter of hours to practice before giving their presentations in the hope of hearing from the dragons those magic words – I’m in!
In the hot seats listening to all of their ideas will be Dragons for the day: Managing Partner of Michelmores Solicitors Malcolm Dickinson; Exeter College Assistant Principal Malcolm Walsh; Business Development Director of Michael Thorne Construction Graham Easton; and Senior Manager of Specialist Fund Services for Capita Financial Group Mary McGuirke.
As well as a prize of £60 worth of Amazon book tokens, the winning team will also take home the prestige of having been acknowledged by leading moves and shakers within the city as business savvy individuals.
Speaking on behalf of the Business & IT faculty, which has organised the day’s activities, Curriculum Support Facilitator Ian Wallace says: “The day is really about raising the students’ awareness, not only to the kinds of global issues that may affect enterprise, but also to those at local level, which is why this year’s brief to students was to really think about Devon and the areas they come from, and to come up with an idea which would be of benefit to their local communities.”
Looking forward to his role as one of the Dragons, Malcolm Walsh adds: “This will be an opportunity for the young people to be tested in a format that is familiar to them from the TV. The Dragons will be there to provide advice, challenge, and support, but most of all to offer clear and concise feedback to the presenters. It should be a lot of nerve-wracking fun.”