YEWM Birmingham & Solihull Innovation Awards 2010
young enterprise west midlands innovation awards 2010
From the Classroom to the Boardroom
The winner of the Best Company Award at the Birmingham & Solihull final of the Young Enterprise West Midlands Innovation Awards 2010 last night was ‘Smart’, from St Martin’s School, Solihull.
The event was supported by Marketing Birmingham and Birmingham University.
Smart, a team of young entrepreneurs displayed a real flair for business in the competition, producing very marketable products, including a unique range of jewellery and creating a very profitable business.
Smart proved popular with last night’s audience and with the judging panel.
Justice Williams MBE, successful social entrepreneur and business woman, listed in Birmingham’s annual “Power 50”, winner of Cosmopolitan’s “Most Inspiring Woman” Award and Chair of the judging panel was suitably impressed;
“The standard of the competition was extremely high and professional. Those of us who are in business ourselves appreciate the challenges that these guys faced. In terms of their Company Report, sales, products and presentation, Smart were absolutely outstanding.”
The evening’s presenters were Harpreet Chowlia and Arusa Latif, who both competed at last year’s final as members of the company HYPE.
The audience and the judging panel clearly had an enjoyable evening. When presenting the Best Presentation Award to Closet, from Arden School, Rebecca Charlton from Marketing Birmingham said;
“Their presentation was funny, exciting and informative!”
Smart will now compete against the best that the region has to offer at the final of the Young Enterprise West Midlands Innovation Awards 2010 in the great Hall at Birmingham University on 18 June.
Whether our young entrepreneurs in Birmingham & Solihull win competitions or not, their future’s look brighter thanks to their Young Enterprise experience:
Independent research has shown that young people who have participated in the Young Enterprise Company Programme earn more, are twice as likely to start their own businesses and have a greater appreciation of their skills and the opportunities available to them on leaving school.
Young Enterprise alumni are more passionate about their jobs, more successful in their careers and more likely to get involved in voluntary work. Whilst, Young Enterprise alumni who own their businesses say that Young Enterprise was more significant to their careers as entrepreneurs, than work experience, extra-curricular activities and school.
The Birmingham & Solihull Award Winners were;
• Best Company – Smart from St Martin’s
• Best Presentation- Closet from Arden School
• Best Product – Scrub from King Edward VI Handsworth School
• Most Innovative Company – P.M.U. from King Edward VI Handsworth School
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