The Young Enterprise West Midlands Company Programme Innovation Awards 2009 took place at Aston University this week, with six successful companies from across the region reaching the finals.
70 of the region's most talented School and College entrepreneurs were on campus for a challenging day of pitches and presentations about their companies to business leaders.
The Young Enterprise mission is to inspire and equip young people to learn and succeed through enterprise. The Company Programme gives young people the opportunity to run their own business and the prestigious Awards are a celebration of their achievements.
The overall winner was QUERTY from De Ferrers Specialist Technology College (Staffordshire), who will now represent the region in the UK finals.
iLove, from King Edward VI Handsworth School (Birmingham & Solihull) won the prize for best customer service and display stand.
The teams who reached the finals were;
• Aspire, from King Edward VI School, Stratford (Coventry & Warwickshire)
• iLove, from King Edward VI Handsworth School (Birmingham & Solihull)
• QWERTY, from De Ferrers Specialist Technology College (Staffordshire)
• Signature Gifts, from King Charles I School & Sixth Form Centre (Hereford & Worcestershire)
• The Little Baggers, The Priory School (Shropshire)
• Urban Greenz, Windsor High School (The Black Country)
The CEO of Young Enterprise, Kevin Hender, said; 'The Young Enterprise Company Programme has enabled 3,346 young people, from over 200 schools, to form 233 companies in the West Midlands this year. The significant journey that they have all travelled were reflected in the six finalists on Thursday. I wish them all the best for their future careers.'
Participants in the Company Programme have been setting up and running their own companies, electing boards of directors, raising share capital and marketing and financing their own products and services.
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