The business initiative of students from schools and colleges across Cheshire and Warrington was celebrated at Young Enterprise Company Area Finals hosted by the University of Chester Business School.
Finalists gathered for the 2022 awards event at Queen’s Park, home to Chester Business School, on Wednesday, April 27.
Young Enterprise is a national charity and its Company Programme empowers young people to set up and run a student company under the guidance of a business volunteer.
Students make all the decisions about their business, from deciding on the company name and managing the company finances, to selling to the public, providing them with practical business experience and key skills.
On Wednesday, teams from nine schools and colleges across Cheshire and Warrington presented their business to a panel of judges, after previously submitting a business report and having a team interview.
The judging panel included: Professor Kurt Allman, Executive Dean of Chester Business School; Ben and Jenna Mulroney from True Potential Wealth Management; Jackie Emson of Warrington Business Exchange, and Jim Smith, from ACJ Risk Solutions.
Dr Connie Hancock, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Management at Chester Business School also compered the event.
The winners in six categories were:
- Best Report – Dee-Fuse, Abbey Gate College;
- Best Presentation – Bottled Aromas, Christleton High School;
- Teamwork – Fidget Friends, Blacon High School;
- Innovation – Simply Wilmslow, Wilmslow High School;
- Runner Up, Cheshire and Warrington Company of the Year – Telos Totes, Alderley Edge School for Girls;
- Winner, Cheshire and Warrington Company of the Year – Dee-Fuse, Abbey Gate College.
The Company of the Year winner and runner-up will now go through to the North West Regional Final on Wednesday May 18.
Dee-Fuse from Abbey Gate College, the Company of the Year winner, is a business aiming to bring peace and tranquillity into the home or work environment, with its sustainably produced diffusers.
Managing Director of Dee-Fuse, Keira Meadows said: “Throughout the course of our journey, the one thing as a team we have enjoyed most is the opportunity to set up and manage a business in a real business world.
“Things we have learned from doing Young Enterprise are how to be resilient and the importance of working together as a team to ensure that Dee-Fuse runs smoothly and that all customers get their desired product on time.”
Dr Connie Hancock, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Management at Chester Business School added: “University of Chester Business School was indeed privileged to host the Young Enterprise Company Programme Finals 2022 at Queen’s Park. All student businesses competing from Cheshire and Warrington clearly demonstrated high quality entrepreneurial capacity and potential.
“Whilst there is only one winner, all students are winners engaging in the YE Programme as they benefit from so much support towards gaining practical business skills. The Business School is proud to offer a continuation of the Business Start-Up journey on our Business Management degree programme.”
Young Enterprise helps young people to learn the vital skills needed to earn and look after their money, to develop an enterprising mindset, succeed in the changing world of work and make a valuable contribution to their communities and wider society. The Young Enterprise Company Programme started in 1963 and, since then, more than one million young people have taken part across the UK.
For further information about Young Enterprise, please visit: www.young-enterprise.org.uk or follow the charity on Facebook @youngenterpriseuk, on Twitter @youngenterprise and @YE_NW and on LinkedIn @Young Enterprise UK.
More details about Chester Business School are available at: https://www1.chester.ac.uk/chester-business-school, on Facebook @uocbusinessschool, on Twitter @uoc_business, on Instagram @uoc_business and on LinkedIn @University of Chester Business School.
