South Ayrshire Provost celebrates young entrepreneurs with new schools' challenge
The first ever Provost's Enterprise and Innovation Challenge was held at Ayr Town Hall, showcasing the very best of South Ayrshire's entrepreneurial spirit!
Young people from across South Ayrshire secondary schools participated in the challenge set by Provost Iain Campbell - to come up with an innovative new product or service and present a pitch in front of a panel of judges.
The competition was tough, with all teams creating thoroughly researched proposals consisting of product overviews, market research, and financial projections with roles allocated to each team member with the aim of convincing the judges to "invest".
The judging panel consisted of Provost Iain Campbell; Councillor William Grant, South Ayrshire Council's Policy Lead for Education and Lifelong Learning; Scott Mulholland, South Ayrshire Council's Director of Education; Lord Lieutenant Iona McDonald; and Lisa Nairn, President of Ayrshire Business Women, Non-Executive Director of A Scents of Scotland, and Chief People Officer for Teleperformance.
The overall winners were Queen Margaret Academy, with teams Marr College and Carrick Academy as the joint runners up.
South Ayrshire Provost Iain Campbell said: "I was very impressed by the presentations this group of talented young entrepreneurs delivered. I'm sure my fellow judges will agree that each and every group demonstrated creativity, innovation, and teamwork in developing their product pitches. Congratulations to the winning group from Queen Margaret Academy, who should be very proud of this achievement amongst such strong competition!"
Councillor William Grant, South Ayrshire Council's Policy Lead for Education and Lifelong Learning, said: "This group of innovators presented a fantastic range of product pitches that were well-researched and full of fresh ideas. This challenge was an excellent opportunity for young people to develop skills that will benefit them throughout school and into their careers."
Lord Lieutenant Iona McDonald said: "I'd like to congratulate all the teams on their innovative presentations and design. There was a strong focus on health issues affecting young people and all of the ideas could be developed further. All the entries were of a very high standard which made the judges job very difficult. My congratulations to the winners Queen Margaret Academy on an excellent presentation."
Lisa Nairn, President of Ayrshire Business Women, Non-Executive Director of A Scents of Scotland, and Chief People Officer for Teleperformance, said: "I have to say how impressed I was with the young people who entered this competition. It was clear that they put so much effort into the research and product development, and the skills they learned along the way will most definitely serve them well in the future world of work. Many congratulations to Queen Margaret Academy for being the inaugural winners. What a fantastic initiative this is to allow young people to explore their entrepreneurial creativity!"
