The Edge competition reaches its finale next week following months of hard work by students at Carshalton and Kingston Colleges. 13 teams have been running their own businesses and will summarise their business plans in a final presentation to a panel of employers on the 28 April.
The teams have been provided with a budget to help get their business off the ground and following the Awards Ceremony in London sponsored by NatWest on May 1st 2014, both Colleges will continue to encourage each team to develop and grow a successful business.
The 13 teams of students have developed business educational concepts since the start of the year across the following areas;
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Hair & Beauty
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IT & Media
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Fashion
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Catering
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Leisure & Tourism and
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Skills for Work & Life
with students demonstrating enterprising qualities and capabilities by thinking differently about education and commercial enterprise.
Teams from Carshalton College include
Team Name |
Area |
Business Idea |
JITOW |
IT |
Software Development for Social Media Network |
CCM |
IT |
App Products |
Cyclone Keyboards |
IT |
Bespoke keyboard development for students with learning disabilities and difficulties |
Community Media Consulting |
Creative Industries |
Recruitment Agency for specialist experts |
Cakes 'R' Us |
Hospitality and Catering |
Personalised cakes for all occasions (please see image above) |
Jars |
Hospitality and Catering |
Assortment of homemade chutneys and pickles |
Regenerate |
Skills for Work and Life |
Recycling of gardening furniture (please see image above) |
The Edge competition was launched across Carshalton and Kingston Colleges in September 2012 with the aim to inspire young people to consider starting their own business, improve their employment prospects as well as supporting specific business units that students are undertaking as part of their College education.
The Awards Ceremony is sponsored by NatWest who see the benefits of giving students the opportunity with projects like this. Nick Howe, Regional Enterprise ManagerNatWest says
“At NatWest we are passionate about inspiring enterprise and entrepreneurial spirit in our communities. I am therefore delighted to be able to work with the students of Carshalton and Kingston Colleges to help and support the
next generation of entrepreneurs.”
Background to The Edge
The federated Colleges have embraced a culture of enterprising futures to foster a new generation of social and commercial entrepreneurs. The Enterprise Passport developed in 2013 has levered to create a menu of enterprising entitlements to support students during the academic year. For example, the recently announced partnership with the National Association of College University Entrepreneurs (NACUE) has provided access to enterprise conferences, boot camps and business surgeries. In addition, NatWest has added further support by hosting a number of business workshops, one to one support as well as extending opportunities to local communications veered through an Enterprise Business School.
The Colleges are committed to working in partnership with flagship employers such as British Airways, Merlin Entertainment, Sainsbury’s, The Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames (RBK), Successful Sutton, Sutton Housing Association, NatWest, Subsea 7, Coast to Capital (LEP), Malcolm John Restaurants and NACUE to support the drive for an entrepreneurial culture to ensure students are equipped with the necessary skills for employment/self-employment in driving forward economic growth.
The Enterprise and Employment Zone
The Enterprise and Employment Zone at Carshalton College and Kingston College is committed to working in partnership, to support organisation’s skills, employment and training strategies by providing professional training and development programmes to meet business needs and economic growth.
Our services include Apprenticeships; a free Recruitment Service for both students and employers; Foundation Degrees and Professional and Management programmes (sector specific).
We can help you: undertake a cost free skills, employment and training consultation; support your organisation to develop a Skills Employment and Training Plan; support the development of bespoke training models; provide your organisation with information on funding grants to support succession planning; provide a cost free recruitment and matching service; Identify and increase the skills your business needs; pinpoint the right training; agree a tailored training programme; find out what funding is available to you.
We work with a number of employers including British Gas, Thames Water, Balfour Beatty, British Airways, Young’s Brewery, Virgin Active, Toni & Guy, The Merlin Group, Thorpe Park, Royal Marsden Hospital, The British Legions and Terrance Higgins Trust.
For more information please contact:
e: marketing@carshalton.ac.uk
t: 020 8544 4558