St Clements students triumphant in Coastal Communities Alliance, Schools Enterprise Challenge

Year 9 students from five Coastal Schools have been taking part in the Aspiring Minds Enterprise Challenge over the past seven months and students from St Clements High School in Skegness saw off competition from over 500 students to win the competition.  The competition, which is in its second year, is funded by Lincolnshire County Council through the Coastal Communities Alliance and aims to raise aspirations of young people living in Coastal Areas of the County and involve them in a challenge against other Schools as well, as their fellow students.

In groups of between three and eight, students were set an Enterprise Challenge in October to come up with a product or service and complete an online business plan before pitching their idea to a panel of specialists.  The winning group from each School then went through to a Grand Final in Skegness in March and the St Clements students stole the show with their idea for a cup that could hold two flavours of drinks.

The judges; Nicola Precious, Coastal Communities Alliance, Norman Deakin, Group Business Manager for the Thurlby Motors Group and Nicola Carr, Fenscape Ltd (who manages the programme), were impressed by the commitment the students had made and the efforts they had gone to, producing a prototype, website, branded logos, uniforms and loyalty cards to encourage repeat purchasing and recycling.

Nicola Precious, the LCC Coastal Communities Alliance Project Manager said of the programme,

"This program has been a huge success over the last two years. The enthusiasm and commitment from the students and schools has been fantastic.  Congratulations to St Clements their product and pitch was exceptional"

The winning team, consisting of Hope Grant, Charlotte Gray and Connor Keeton, called themselves Shake'n'Stuff and as a reward for their effort and hard work were taken, along with teachers, to the East Midlands Innovation Festival Dinner at the Round House in Derby.  They were awarded with Certificates and iPods by Geoff Parsons of the By Design Group and were recognised on stage in front of over two hundred people including members of the East Midlands Development Agency, the business community and representatives from Europe.

For more information about the Aspiring Minds Challenge, please contact Fenscape on fenscape@bydesign-group.co.uk

28th April 2010