Dragon's Den business course launched in Bradford (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting TANEWS to 80360, or email
Dragon's Den business course launched in Bradford
9:30am Monday 13th February 2012 in Bradford By Hannah Baker
Bradford College has become the first in West Yorkshire to run a course for aspiring entrepreneurs started by successful businessman and Dragon’s Den star Peter Jones.
The ten students on the college’s new six-month Level 2 BTEC course have been busy preparing pitches, working on business plans and receiving advice from employers in the city.
Last week they sold Valentine’s cards to other students at the college, which has teamed up with the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy, in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, to run the course.
From September most will move on to a year-long Level 3 BTEC diploma in enterprise and entrepreneurship, which will see them run their own business for three months.
Business and enterprise lecturer David Johnson said: “They all have their own ideas for products and business opportunities which are all perfectly plausible. They all think really creatively. If you can be creative, you can be an entrepreneur.”
Tashinga Chitakara, 16, who travels from Leeds for the course, said: “I was already interested in business. I want to start my own business when I finish university.
“There’s a mix of everything. You get taught about running a business, how to start it up and how to keep it open as well as about finance which you don’t always get in business classes.”
Fellow student Uzma Zahir, 17, of Keighley, said: “I’m interested in business and I wanted to see where it can take me. I have studied business before but this is much more in depth. After this I’m hoping to go to university.”
Bradford College business and enterprise programme manager Peter Horton said: “We are delighted with our new enterprise students and most of the students will be progressing on to our level three business and enterprise diploma in September. They are all very enthusiastic and we will be looking forward to seeing some of their business ideas develop.”
