
Eight Newton Abbot College students joined nine other schools and colleges in the South West area for the Coca-Cola Enterprises Real Business Challenge regional finals in February. Having qualified for the regional finals out of 850 schools entered nationally, the College travelled to the Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol, where students were asked to tackle a business task set by Coca-Cola Enterprises. The tasks are devised to allow students to develop enterprise skills designed to give them a competitive edge in the wider job market. Each participating team was assigned a team mentor and given an unseen project brief. Students were then invited to create a marketing plan, budget and design an app to support their brief. Having completed their mentor workshops, students presented their ideas to the other 200 contestants in the room and were judged on their performance. Jon Leet, Business Studies Team Leader, was impressed with the day and the students’ efforts: “The Real Business Challenge gave Newton Abbot College students the chance to hone their team-work and presentation skills; they had never presented to such a large group of people before and they really did Newton Abbot College proud. Despite not progressing further in the competition, students have had the unique opportunity of working with real industry professionals and gain an insight into the world of business outside of the College walls.”