Students the Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow

As part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, students from SERC took part in an Enterprise Expo on 12 November at the Lisburn Campus. The day coincided with a week packed with enterprising activities to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week; a worldwide movement of entrepreneurial people with events taking place in 170 different countries.

Students from across the Campus participated in a 60 second pitch, where they had to explain their innovative idea to a panel of enterprise judges – with the winner receiving a £20 voucher. The winner was Skills for Life student, Rebecca King. Rebecca came up with the concept of a compact hairbrush with a concealed area to hold items such as make up -making it perfect for a night out on the town.

The Expo showcased a range of students who have made their ideas a reality including engineering students who produced an Arduino case, which acts as a protective case for a mini computer and a book created by business students aimed at Key Stage 2 children to explain autism (£4.99 online at booksbystellas.bigcartel.com).  

SERCs Resident Entrepreneur Terance Brannigan and Dr John Kelly rounded up the event by offering students a Q and A session on entrepreneurship and how to pursue ideas and make them a reality. Students were invited to come together to learn about business and enterprise, in addition to honing their business skills.

SERC Director of Curriculum and Information Services Michael Malone said “Encouraging students to consider entrepreneurial opportunities is an important part of what the College offers. There is a great need to provide opportunities today that help our students pursue their dreams and build the businesses of tomorrow. After all, enterprise is not just about having great ideas and knowing how to take them forward. It’s about being innovative, understanding risk, making things happen and not missing great opportunities. Global Entrepreneurship Week 2018 will kick-start the conversations that are needed to make this happen.”  

In December, SERC will be kicking off a series of enterprise master classes to launch the new Entrepreneurs Club entitled 'Creating your Dream Team'. The master classes will take place on the following dates

• 6 December in Lisburn at 10am
• 10 December in Downpatrick at 1pm
• 12 December in Bangor at 12pm

The masterclasses are designed to make it as easy as possible for start-ups to deal with some of the challenges related to scalability, such as recruiting the right people, gaining access to funding and finding the tools they need quickly.

Dr. John Kelly will compere the first masterclass, which is titled “Creating a Team”. The event will last approximately 45 minutes with a Q&A session following which will be hosted by our Entrepreneur in residence Terence Brannigan.

SERC provides a wide range of full and part time courses.  For more information or to apply please visit www.serc.ac.uk, call 0345 600 7555 or find us on Facebook, search: SERC.