Local schools throughout West Berkshire have taken part in a Dragon’s Den-style competition organised by the Education Business Partnership West Berkshire.  Sponsored by Greenham Common Trust, the ‘Champions of Enterprise’ event challenged pupils to decide which of three local entrepreneurial businesses they would like to invest an imaginary £100,000 in.

The companies they could select from were Imago Group Plc; a tele/video conferencing company; Enfuels; the production and sale of bio-diesel/bio-fuel; and 3T RPD Ltd; a leading provider of prototype parts using high-tech Laser Sintering technology.

Seven local schools ran in-house events during the Autumn Term 2007, with over 700 pupils taking part.  Each of the three companies made a presentation on their products and services, with the pupils exploring potential development and investment opportunities before justifying their decision to a panel of judges made up of volunteers from a number of local businesses.  The students were required to decide upon their reason for investment, some teams looked purely at the return on investment and others felt environmental considerations were more important.

50 out of the 96 teams taking part selected 3T RPD Ltd as the company they wanted to invest in, with one team commenting “We decided to invest in 3T because we feel the company is open to exceptional growth potential within the market.  The existing management is strong and we are confident that we will be able to take our investment forward”.

Some of the reasons cited by other teams for investing in 3T included:-

• Innovative company
• Amazing technology and interesting products
• A good size company for investment, good growth potential
• Diversification and growth potential – diversification into different materials such as plastic/metal, geographical expansion, expansion into other market sectors e.g. medical, engineering etc.
• Potential to improve recycling of unused raw material
• Speed of service – build and deliver parts in 3 days
• 3T has a good reputation
• Strong and efficient workforce
• Confident and professional video clip from Ian Halliday who was passionate about his company

The winning team from each of the seven schools went on to compete in the Grand Final at Newbury Racecourse in December 2007.  Students spent the afternoon rehearsing their presentations and were quizzed by the judges in private prior to making their final presentations in front of an invited audience of 115 people, made up of students, teachers, parents and business volunteers.  The judging panel consisted of representatives from Greenham Common Trust, Newbury Building Society, Newbury Weekly News and The Vodafone UK Foundation.

The winning team was announced as Park House School & Sports College in Newbury.  Called ‘Right Action’, the team chose to invest in 3T RPD Ltd and gave a clear and comprehensive argument for their investment decision.  Each pupil received a gift voucher and certificate, and trophy for their school.  144 students from Park House had taken part throughout the event, consisting of 18 teams.

‘Right Action’ winning team from
Park House School & Sports College

Helen Lyford, Project Officer at the Education Business Partnership says “The event was designed to assist 16 and 17 year olds in understanding the elements that go into running a successful business.  The enterprise skills learnt by the students are not only key life skills, but also invaluable to their future careers.  We are extremely grateful to all the local businesses that got involved, especially to 3T and Ian Halliday for their enthusiasm for the Champions of Enterprise programme.  It’s a very brave thing for a company to do, allowing over 700 students to scrutinize your business, so we would like to say a big thank you to 3T for braving the Dragon’s Den!”

Further information on the Education Business Partnership West Berkshire can be obtained from:-

Education Business Partnership West Berkshire

188 Main Street

New Greenham Park

Newbury

Berkshire  RG19 6HW

Tel: +44 (0)1635 279900

Fax: +44 (0)1635 279915

E-mail: info@wbebp.co.uk

Website: www.wbebp.co.uk