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'Hoodies into entrepreneurs' training company to pitch at Midlands leg of £50,000 business contest
Posted by Matt Henkes in Business trends on Fri, 30/07/2010 - 16:54
A company that turns around the lives of young offenders by equipping them with entrepreneurial skills is among the five finalists in the Midlands heat of a nationwide competition tracking down the UK’s best new business.
Birmingham-based Nationwide Learning, run by Stan Karpenco, takes a novel approach to training some of the city’s 20,000 young offenders by setting them up with their own t-shirt retailer. The participants run their own business, and design, manufacture and sell their products, learning ‘experientially’ how to function as an entrepreneur.
Karpenco is one of five who will pitching to a panel of business experts at Birmingham Science Park Aston on Thursday 5 August in The Pitch 2010, organised by BusinessZone.co.uk in association with Yell.
The judging panel in Birmingham will be William Chase, founder of the Tyrrells specialist crisp brand which he sold in 2008 for £40m; Warren Bennett, co-founder of award-winning online tailor A Suit That Fits; Ross Elder, co-founder of holidaylettings.co.uk which was recently sold to Trip Advisor and investment expert and fund principal to the Mercia Technology Seed Fund, Dr Mark Payton.
One lucky entrepreneur will go through to The Pitch 2010 grand final in London in November, where they will pitch again for £50,000 worth of business support which includes mentoring from former Dragons' Den panellist Doug Richard.
Stan Karpenco, Nationwide Learning director, said: "For us, the most important outcome young people can achieve is a boost to their self-confidence and self-esteem and a new belief that they can achieve anything they want. Our programme helps participants to understand that business and enterprise is simple and can be a highly profitable and suitable alternative to having a job."
The five regional finalists are:
- Give me tap - makes water easily accessible to anyone, anywhere, anytime www.givemetap.co.uk
- Ferrartis - provides products to facilitate the safe and economic maintenance of street lighting www.ferrartis.com
- One-Chem - a range of five environmentally friendly sanitation and cleaning products for caravan, camping and boating markets www.one-chem.co.uk
- Nationwide Learning - an alternative education service through which young people get a chance to run a real business and make money while developing their entrepreneurial skills and confidence www.nationwidelearning.co.uk
- Re-jigged – manufacturer and retailer of ethical, sustainable, upcycled and quality British-made children's clothing www.re-jigged.co.uk
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