Students pitch business ideas to university panel in campus visit
Students from Coleg Ceredigion and Coleg Sir Gâr spent a day exploring university life at University of Wales Trinity Saint David where they competed in groups to pitch business ideas to a specialist university panel.
Business and travel and tourism students took part in the university’s Rise Challenge Change competition where groups of students were each asked to research and present sustainable business ideas.
Responses to the competition brief included the company Planting the Future, which won gold for Coleg Sir Gâr travel and tourism students for its innovative plantable seeded packaging. Future Fuel won silver, which is an initiative by Coleg Sir Gâr business students using biodiesel and Coleg Ceredigion’s business team, Instant Chef, won bronze for their food waste prevention and recipe app.
Judging on the university panel were Dr Alex Bell, a senior lecturer in business, Jessica Shore, business programme manager, Harri Dendle business and management student and Dr Louise Emanuel, academic director for the Institute of Management and Health.
The university also gave tours of its Carmarthen campus where students visited the halls of residence and the Students Union events area where they spent a lunchbreak with pizza provided by UWTSD.
Navdeep Randhawa is part of the team that teaches the extended diploma in business at Coleg Sir Gâr but she also teaches on the business management programmes at UWTSD. She said: “Through collaboration work and as part of the college and university’s dual partnership, myself and Jessica Shore from UWTSD put the idea of the day together and university business management students took over and planned the whole day as part of their degree course, to give students the opportunity of exploring their progression options.
“The college’s level three business course is a progression route to study business and management related degrees so it was an obvious choice to us to organise the visit and competition to give students more experience in pitching business ideas as well as an insight into studying at university.”
Kevin Williams, business lecturer for Coleg Ceredigion added: “It was a great opportunity for us to see the facilities and speak to business staff at the university and a great presentation experience for our students who I am very proud of for winning an award for their sustainable business idea.”
Sports-minded students were also given the opportunity of finding out more about sports academies and sporting facilities.
The day came to an end with the presentation of the awards at the university’s Students Union.
