Students take up business challenge

Wednesday 20 January 2016

The Channel Islands Student Business Challenge is supporting forty teams of students from Grainville, Haute Vallée, Jersey College for Girls and Victoria College to start-up and run their own businesses with an initial investment of £100 per team.

The Challenge, run by Barclays, EY, Ogier and Sure, kicked off at the Radisson last week, with 140 students aged from 11 to 16 getting an overview of the task ahead of them.

Each team of students, aged 11 – 16, is supported by a mentor from Barclays, EY, Ogier or Sure who will help equip them with skills which are relevant to the workplace. 

Teams have two months to develop their business acumen before facing a final “Dragon’s Den” where they will need to impress the judges with their abilities to run a profitable business and / or benefit the local community.  An awards ceremony will be held in mid-May to celebrate the achievements of the teams and announce the winners of the 2016 Channel Islands Student Business Challenge. 

Carl Howarth, Principal of Jersey College for Girls, said: “The launch event will give the students valuable insight into what is in store for them as well as the confidence to start-up their own businesses. Through the Challenge they will develop key employability skills and see how their entrepreneurial ideas can be turned into financial success.” 

Nick Kershaw, Global Managing Partner at Ogier, said: “This is a big year for the Challenge, Haute Vallée and Victoria College are joining for the first time and we are also expanding into Guernsey with teams of students from Elizabeth College and St Sampson’s High School starting up their own businesses. Over the last three years we have helped students from Grainville and JCG to generate profits of around £20,000. ” 

Many teams choose to donate a share of their profits to charity. Over the last three years this has resulted in nearly £11,000 being given to charities such as JSPCA, Oscan Maclean Foundation, CLIC Sargent and Macmillan.

Sure Chief Executive, Eddie Saints said: “The level of innovation and enthusiasm that the teams are already demonstrating is impressive.  I am extremely impressed with their plans for developing profitable, sustainable businesses and am looking forward to seeing the teams in action.”

Dave Roworth, Headteacher of Haute Vallée said: “As a Headteacher, having our students involved for the first time is really exciting. These are the opportunities and challenges which young people can thrive on. I am confident that our students will play their full part in what is already a proven success story for local schools and businesses working in partnership.”

This year’s contestants will be trading from January to March and selling healthy snacks and drinks, cakes and sweet treats as well as jewellery, candles, key rings, soaps and gifts as they compete to become the Overall Winner of the Channel Islands Student Business Challenge 2016.