Entrepreneurs undergo intensive training
Friday, 2nd July 2010
Twenty nine students and graduates, four intensive days and a range of business ideas...
The annual Graduate Entrepreneurship Project’s bootcamp provides a great foundation upon which to start a business, and this year’s offering didn’t disappoint.
Participants in the bootcamp are drawn from across the Graduate Entrepreneurship Project’s partnership of all 11 Yorkshire higher education institutions and all have one thing in common – a desire to find out as much as possible about running their own businesses.
View students' feedback on their bootcamp experience
The bootcamp featured presentations from individuals from the professional services community and including HMRC, Leeds Chamber, solicitors, accountants and marketing professionals. The aim of bootcamp is to provide students and graduates with serious business ideas with a firm foundation of skills and knowledge they can use in the future.
The business ideas presented at the bootcamp were incredibly diverse, from new products for sporting activities through to a consultancy aimed at helping schools develop effective anti-bullying policies.
Ged Doonan, Business and Patents Librarian at Leeds Central Library has presented at bootcamp for two years now. He says: “It must be very intense for students to go through so much in such a short time, but I think it makes it much more real for them. They certainly find bootcamp useful – and in particular the one-to-one sessions where we can look at specific issues that might affect their business.”
This is echoed by York based solicitor Jane Sachedina who has run networking workshops at bootcamp for several years. “I really enjoy bootcamp,” says Jane. “The young people attending are incredibly enthusiastic. All too often young people are channelled into working for others rather than thinking about self-employment or running their own business. We need more entrepreneurial spirit in this country and bootcamp is just one of the ways this is being fostered.
Bootcamp entrepreneur case studies
Ben Ziapour (Leeds College of Music)
Elizabeth Nassem (University of Huddersfield)
Chris Kenworthy (University of Leeds)
Mark Fairbairn (Leeds Metropolitan University)
Samantha Logan (Sheffield Hallam University)
