Entrepreneurial students from across Devon and Cornwall gathered at Exeter College on the 30th April for the final of the Young Enterprise Devon Company Programme.

The Young Enterprise company programme gives young people in the region an opportunity to develop life skills such as teamwork and working to deadlines. Supported by their schools to set up a student company, the young people are responsible for branding, managing the company finances and selling to the public.

Students had to work as teams to produce an innovative idea, market their product and build their brand to get to the final. Businesses ranged from car valet services to reusable make up wipes.

‘I’m glad I started this, it’s become bigger than I expected it to be’ said Tendi, a Truro College student, who led his team ‘Keyframes’ to the final with his creative idea to sell keychains that cue music to play from your phone via a unique spotify code.

The experience can be instrumental for young people to get out of their comfort zone and see what they can achieve with their creativity, energy and determination.

Olivia from Bideford College reflected ‘My favourite part has been being able to apply all the skills I’ve learnt into real life situations, helping me build my confidence up.’

Exeter College were represented by our Progression Gateway cohort. Their business ‘My Way to Okay’ sold customisable journal pages and habit trackers. Their entrepreneurial spirit even took them to Greendale Farm Shop where they carried out valuable market research as part of their product development.

Claire, Programme Leader for Progression Gateway expressed ‘It’s exceeded my expectations, I have a lot of positive things happen here at Exeter College but this one has exceeded it and I’m so proud of the journey these young people have been on’.

After months of selling at tradeshows and building an online presence for their business, the competition concluded with finalists giving a presentation to a panel of judges.

Congratulations to WEEE Enterprise from St Peters Church of England Aided School, who were awarded overall winners with their business, turning e waste into jewellery. 

David, Marketing Director of WEEE shared ‘It’s honestly been one of the most fun experiences I’ve had, it’s amazing for your CV, you will meet so many new people doing it that it will probably become one of the highlights of your time in education.’