Young entrepreneurs come up with an idea you won’t forget

A NUMBER of engineering students from the Lisburn Campus of the South Eastern Regional Colleges’ (SERC) Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Programme started the new year with a project they’ll never forget as they set up their own business, Elephant Stix.

The company imports and sells memory flash pen drives which help you remember important documents and information which can be branded and pre-loaded with information and are useful marketing tools. Sponsors are local firm Tata Steel, who will be mentoring the students throughout the year to help them in their new venture.

The enterprise programme, which is supported by Young Enterprise Northern Ireland (YENI), offers students a unique opportunity to establish and manage their own businesses which will run over the course of an academic year.

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As a result of the programme the students are not only getting ‘real life’ business training and exposure to real business people, but they are taking the responsibility, the decisions and the risks! This is an experience that will enhance their learning and employability which will stead them in good stead when they graduate.

David Greer SERC Enterprise Champion for the School of Manufacturing and Electrical Engineering said: “The engineering students running Elephant Stix, supported by their tutor Stephen Colligan, have shown great initiative and commitment to get their business started.”

SERC’s Director of Corporate and Economic Development, Thompson Keating, added: “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 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. Our enterprise programmes will kick-start the conversations that are needed to make this happen.”

Chris Conway, Managing Director for Tata Steel, commented: “It is vital to encourage entrepreneurship at FE level, for the benefit of our future local economy.

“We hope that our support of SERC’s students will have long-term benefits, which will last much longer than the duration of the programmes.”