Leicester College learners put their entrepreneurial skills to the test

The team, including Caan Moffatt, Sam Henshaw, Spencer Hughes, Jake Murray, Andy Sanders and Dharmesh Karsan came up with the idea during the ‘Make your Mark Challenge’, the national campaign to improve learners’ enterprise skills through work-related learning. 

Along with sixty other learners at the College, they were tasked with developing low carbon initiatives for the local area after taking advice on sustainable technologies from guest speaker, Neil Coote from the Business Development and Marketing Department at construction company Lindum.

The team’s design has now been put forward to the regional finals taking place at The Bulwell Academy on 26 November 2009.  Ten teams from colleges across the region will compete for a place in the UK finals on 10 December 2009.

Electrical Installation level 3 learner Spencer Hughes, said: “We had to make notes, put our ideas on a plan and pitch it to a panel of judges.  Our team came up with the idea to make the local market more eco-friendly.  We decided to put up a pod like at the Eden Project and to solar power it.”

Tori James, Make your Mark Challenge Co-ordinator said: “The ‘Make your Mark Challenge’ is about working on a brief in small teams over a day to come up with an idea.  It’s part of gaining new enterprise skills that stand the learners in stead for anything they do in their lives and careers.  They gain creativity and communications skills and learn how to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges.

“The challenge was about looking at locality and I’ve been really impressed by some great ideas the learners have come up with.”

Learners were encouraged to take part in the challenge as well as a range of other events and activities taking place during Enterprise Week on 16 to 20 November 2009.

As part of Enterprise Week, over 200 organisations across the UK run events to encourage people to have ideas and make them happen.  This can be by starting up a new business or social enterprise, or by having ideas and making them happen in the workplace.

The College teamed up with Skills for Enterprise to deliver sessions during the week for learners who might be interested in setting up their own business.

Photograph: Students Caan Moffatt, Sam Henshaw, Spencer Hughes, Jake Murray, Andy Sanders and Dharmesh Karsa receiving advice from Neil Coote from the Business Development and Marketing Department at construction company Lindum.