Enterprising Coleg Gwent students at the Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone launched their own pop-up shop at the campus for Global Entrepreneurship week
Coleg Gwent celebrated Global Entrepreneurship Week with events designed to inspire future generations of enterprising business people.
Between 18 and 28 November Coleg Gwent hosted workshops across its five campuses from self-made business people and launched the College’s very own enterprise project run by students – a new ‘pop-up shop.’
The pop-up shop, a student initiative to supply products such as stationery to other Coleg Gwent learners, was launched on Wednesday 27 November at the Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone. Special guests included local entrepreneurs, representatives from the Welsh Government, Blaenau Gwent’s Mayor Cllr Mostyn Lewis and Coleg Gwent’s Chair of Governors Angela Lloyd.
Among the guest speakers at the launch was Darren Foote, Managing Director of Mountain Fuel in Blaenau Gwent, which most recently supplied products to the Walking With The Wounded charity expedition to the South Pole featuring Prince Harry. Speaking to students at the launch he said: “If you’ve got a dream or an idea, grab it with both hands and follow it through with enthusiasm and drive.”
A team of students from Public Services, Care and A Level subjects at the Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone applied for money to start their very own social enterprise using the pop-up shop. The project will enable students to train in customer service, stock taking and till operation, and will sell items including stationery, clothing and drinks.
A Level student Imogen Waterhouse, 19 from Ebbw Vale, said: I’m currently applying for university so I jumped at the chance to get involved in this project and enhance my CV for the future. Not only am I learning something new, but it’s also very satisfying to be working as a team.”
It is hoped other students at the campus will also get involved in selling original art and Christmas cards in the pop-up shop project as it progresses.
The project has been funded by national organisation UnLtd through the company’s FE Pioneers Programme, a partnership with FE Colleges in South East Wales aimed at promoting and raising the profile of social entrepreneurship activity. Coleg Gwent is the first College to get the project up and running at its Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone campus.
Coleg Gwent’s Enterprise Leader Vanessa Janes said: “The FE Pioneers Programme is a fantastic incentive for our young people to acquire relevant skills for the world of work and/or to become the next social entrepreneurs of our future.
“As the Enterprise Leader I am keen to enhance the skills and nurture our young people so that they can reach their full potential and make our communities a better place to live.”
The Learning Zone is supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funded by Welsh Government.
