Students from across Cornwall attended the Young Enterprise (YE) Spring Trade Fair on Truro’s Lemon Quay last weekend.
The teams involved in the Young Enterprise Company Programme set up and run a real businesses for a year under the guidance of volunteers from the local business community.
They do everything from raising the initial share capital and designing and making their product or service to selling directly to customers at specially organised trade fairs and ultimately winding up the firm and paying their taxes.
The event was attended by nine teams from Fowey Community College, Newquay Tretherras School, Truro School, Cornwall College St Austell, Cornwall College Camborne, Treviglas College Newquay and Richard Lander School Truro.
‘Tidal’ from Newquay Tretherras won the ‘Most Innovative Product’ category with its organic herb and vegetable boxes branded as the ‘Lazy Gardener’.
‘Treviglas Enterprise’ trading as ‘Cornish Collections’ from Treviglas College won the ‘Best Trade Stand’.
The ‘Best Customer Service’ award, judged by mystery shopper Amy Jones, went to ‘Innovation Enterprises’ from Cornwall College Camborne.
The ‘Best Overall Company’ was awarded to ‘Eventus’ from Fowey Community College for its ‘Ace Cases’ for mobile phones and the runner-up was ‘Tidal’ from Newquay Tretherras, which also won ‘Most Innovative Product’ for its ‘Lazy Gardener’ products.
One of the judges was Rachel Jones, from Enterprise Foundation South West. She said: “Judging was a tough process as each School had created very good business ideas with clear marketing opportunities, strong financial data and excellent teams with shared responsibility, clearly highlighting individual’s skills. Cornwall is set for some real future talent.”
All the teams taking part in the Young Enterprise Company Programme will be invited to attend the Young Enterprise Cornwall Innovation Awards on May 8 at the Atlantic Hotel.
YE is always looking for more schools to get involved and volunteers from the business community to act as business advisers.
Email Clare Harris for more information.
