A company of students from Guernsey schools and colleges have been crowned Best Overall Company at the Young Enterprise South East Regional Final. The final was held at HG Wells Conference centre in Woking as part of the HSBC UK supported Young Enterprise Company Programme.
Ten student teams from Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Surrey, Sussex and the Channel Islands competed for prizes across many categories. The winning team, “YEP”, from Guernsey, will go on to represent the South East of England at the UK Company of the Year final in London on 18hth June and could potentially represent the UK in Lille at the European final.
Young Enterprise works with over 250,000 students ever year and thousands of young people aged 15-19 from across the country have set up and run a real business or social enterprise over the academic year with Company Programme – Young Enterprise’s flagship enterprise education programme supported nationally by HSBC UK. Company Programme students have made all the decisions about their business, from deciding the company name and product, to creating a business plan, managing their finances and selling their products.
The winning team, “YEP”, created and sold a children’s book on the environmental problem of plastic pollution.
Their evening flight back to Guernsey was cancelled but this did not dampen their spirits! Following a phone interview from Gatwick with BBC Radio Guernsey, the team said that they were “amazed and thrilled to have won and to be going to the national finals!”
The Young Enterprise Guernsey Area Board, who support the Company Programme on the Island, said: “Huge congratulations. We are all very proud.”
The companies were judged, across a set of criteria, by Tracy Weston (HSBC UK), Jo Osborn (South East Water), Peter Quilter (NatWest) Tom Wilson (ExxonMobil) and Simon Lewis (Partridge, Muir and Warren).
Tracy Weston (HSBC UK) said: “A massive thank you, what an amazing event. I was overwhelmed by the students; they were all brilliant and have a lot to be proud of.”
Simon Lewis (CEO, Partridge, Muir & Warren) said: “Working with Young Enterprise as a judge is such a positive experience! If these bright young people are indicative of our next generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders, we can look forward to the future with confidence.”
Jo Osborn (Head of Communications at South East Water) said: “It was a privilege to spend a day with such an inspirational group of young people and see the culmination of their hard work displayed so professionally. I was particularly impressed at the focus all the businesses had made on sustainability and the need to consider the environment and the communities they serve. The number of companies who were developing ideas to help save or protect our water resources was absolutely fantastic, everyone involved should be very proud of what they achieved.”
The companies and schools competing in the South East Young Enterprise Company Programme Final were:
TOK (Hurstpierpoint College) – Eco-friendly, hand etched, unique, portable, glass water bottles
Harbour (Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys) – Handmade pebble artwork in wood
Deja Brew (Ryde Academy, Isle of Wight) – Freshly ground Single orgin Costa Rican Coffee
Aspire (North East Surrey College of Technology, Epsom) – A self-watering plant pot to grow herbs, small plants and flowers
Tees & Coffee (Peter Symonds College, Winchester) – Reusable coffee cups and t-shits made from recycled materials
Novus (Jersey schools and colleges) – Hand-picked quality treats and toys for dogs in Jersey
Save our Seas (Claremont Fan Court School, Esher) – ‘It’s a Wrap’ – sandwich wrap
Zoomail (Sir Roger Manwood’s School, Sandwich) – Greeting cards made from animal excrement
Unum Jewellery (Eastbourne College, East Sussex) – Artisanal craft Jewellery projecting key values
YEP (Guernsey schools and colleges) – Sustainable soundboard and children’s book on the environmental problem of plastic pollution
Full list of Award Winners:
Best Video Advert (supported by Federos) – Save our Seas
Creativity Award (supported by TOK) – Disney
Best Teamwork (supported by Partridge, Muir & Warren) – Harbour
Best Customer Service (supported by South East Water) – Harbour
Best Financial Management (supported by NatWest) – TOK
Best Sustainability (supported by HSBC UK) – Zoomail
Best Presentation (supported by ExxonMobil) – Unum Jewellery
Runner Up Company (supported by Met Life) – Unum Jewellery
South East Company of the Year (supported by HSBC UK) – YEP