Awards duo for enterprisestudents

BIG IDEAS Joe Barratt with students Billie Jay Robertson, Josh John Hollings,Saif Uddin Tariq and Mohammad Akbar.

Creative students at Kirklees College have shown they have the knack for business by scooping two awards.

The Peter Jones Enterprise Academy (PJEA) youngsters won prizes for Best Support Organisation for Enterprise and Best Group Product at the first Kirklees Youth Enterprise Awards, held at the college on Thursday, November 12.

Head of enterprise at Kirklees College Lydia Butterworth said: “Our success is a testimony to the hard work and enterprising spirit of our learners. We are delighted to receive such accolades and can’t believe our learners are making such an impact locally after only eight weeks on the course.”

The awards were presented by Deputy Mayor of Kirklees Coun Jim Dodds and Joe Barratt, who founded the national Teenage Market scheme which is supported by “queen of the high street”Mary Portas.

PJEA was selected as Best Support Organisation for going “above and beyond their call of duty when it comes to enterprise.”

Judges said: “They not only support their own pupils on their enterprise course but work with other local businesses to help them grow, deliver enterprise workshops and competitions in schools, support Alternative Market traders, provide enterprise training for teachers and lots more.”

For Best Group Product, PJEA were nominated for a tote bag which they designed and sold at Alternative Market events in Huddersfield over the last few weeks.

Judges said: “They worked together to create a very innovative and unique product – the London Huddersfield Paris New York tote bag which has proven very popular at our markets.”

The Peter Jones Enterprise Academy is a network of colleges that span the country and deliver specialist courses in entrepreneurship.

They are aimed at promoting a practical approach to business education where students are encouraged to set up and run their own businesses, gaining real-life experience of what it takes to get a company off the ground.

Kirklees College itself has 14 curriculum areas, ranging from art and design to engineering.

For more information about PJEA at Kirklees College, visit www.pjea.org.uk/academies/directory/kirklees-college