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YEAR 13 STUDENTS PITCH COMPETITION WINNING IDEA TO INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS 

24 October 2024  |  Sven Wardle  |  Posted in: , ,

Richmond School and Sixth Form College’s Careers department are always on the lookout for opportunities to raise students’ awareness of the skills required for the world of work and to give them chances to develop and practice these skills. What follows is an account about a brilliant recent success in this area:

Back in November 2023 we received details of a Yorkshire wide competition being run by IGD Employability, an organisation: ‘Providing young people with the opportunity to develop their employability skills and gain insight into careers to help build a productive and sustainable workforce for the food and consumer goods industry’.

The aim of the competition was to come up with a solution to a real-world problem within the consumer goods industry, focused on sustainability and addressing the changing consumer demand for environmentally friendly innovation.

A group of seven then Year 12 students took up the challenge and began working on their chosen case study: “Helping an engineer protect produce and the planet.” The students had to work as a team to research their ideas, create a presentation and then record their pitch for entry. The group worked hard and developed skills which will really help them to succeed in the world of work including teamwork, innovation, pitching ideas, research, public speaking, giving and receiving constructive feedback and time management. The end result was a fantastic pitch about how to create sustainable bamboo packaging for berries which could be used in supermarkets.

Some time later, we received the wonderful news that they had won the competition! 

The feedback from the competition judges read as follows: “You took us on a really clear and engaging journey, backed-up by thorough research. It was particularly good to learn about how you reached your decisions and how your ideas evolved over time. Your idea was thoughtfully considered from multiple angles, including how to change consumer behaviour. It would have been great to learn more about the secondary impacts of bamboo (e.g., land usage, weight during transport and its impact upon fuel etc). 

A really detailed and engaging presentation. It was really clear throughout, and it was excellent in considering lots of different angles (e.g. bringing it to market). Thanks for all your hard work. You’ve demonstrated lots of very key employability skills and produced a presentation which would not be out of place in an industry boardroom. Well done!” 

The team were invited to the winner’s event at the head office of Arla Foods in Leeds where they pitched their idea in person to a range of industry professionals. Mr Boulton-Lear, who accompanied the students on the visit, said: “It was a great day for the students, where they got to meet a range of industry professionals, graduates, and students from other schools. They took part in a range of learning activities and had the opportunity to pitch their ideas to industry leaders from big brands like Nestle and Asda. Their presentation was amazing and received praise from those in the room. They were all excited to come away with a certificate and a goody bag that included a £10 Amazon voucher!”

Noah Boyd, one of the now Year 13 students who took part in the competition, said: “I wanted to take part in the competition for multiple reasons. The main ones being that I love the world of business and I wanted to implement my learning into real life examples. The second is that our whole team has an interest in saving the environment. For me personally, I wanted to start moving forward on the path of reducing climate change.

The event was very insightful: we learnt lots about what interviewers look for in the food and drinks industry and how to get into the industry. We also found out about the different career paths Arla offers. It was great to have the opportunity to present our pitch and learn about the other teams’ ideas.” 

Ruth Hamer, Careers Adviser, who supported the students with their entry said: “I couldn’t be prouder of these students. They volunteered to take part in this competition as they wanted to develop their skills and show their commitment to self-development. They worked really hard and were able to manage the work involved alongside their studies and other commitments, which is not easy. Getting involved with activities like this will be so beneficial to future applications to university, apprenticeships and employment. Well done!  Our thanks go to everyone involved in the competition and the winners’ event for putting together such a great day. “ 

Congratulations to the competition-winning students: Cameron Smith, Ellis Hepper, Noah Boyd, Harry Large, Max Roberts, Freya Cutter and Tom Whitehead. 

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