Gazelle’s pantrepreneur challenge

Lewisham College engineering students displaying their Pants to Poverty design. Left to right: Joel Mvula, Bubacar Djalo and Landing Samba. Picture by Nick Linford.

Students are creating Olympic-inspired briefs for a national competition led by the fair trade underwear brand Pants to Poverty.

The ‘Pantrepreneur Challenge’, organised in collaboration with the Gazelle group, has asked learners from 15 colleges to design, produce and sell pairs of pants to the public.

Ben Ramsden, founder of Pants to Poverty and also a ‘Gazelle entrepreneur’, says the competition is designed to test students’ creative, collaborative and entrepreneurial skills.

“For young people starting their careers in today’s economic climate, it is more important than ever to encourage and inspire them to start their own businesses and get experience whilst at college,” Mr Ramsden said.

“This competition will give students the chance to learn how to run their own business, while also designing a very sexy pair of pants!

“What’s more, students will see how even small businesses can change the world for the better.”

The team which sells the most briefs for charity will win a trip to India, where they can see the supply chain used by Pants to Poverty “from cotton to bottom”.

I’m confident we can raise a lot of money for a great cause, and the students winning the trip to India would be the icing on the cake.”

The runners up will be able to continue putting their business skills to the test by organising and running a ‘Pants to Poverty’ stall at numerous festivals throughout the summer.

The third prize meanwhile is a year’s worth of Pants to Poverty underwear.

Five teams from Middlesbrough College initially entered the competition, pitching a design, business plan and marketing scheme.

The winning team, ‘Access2Pants’, now have 500 pairs featuring their designs which they have been selling throughout May (see below).

Chris Tame, an access to business student at Middlesbrough College and also a member of the ‘Access2Pants’ team, said: “It’s been a real team effort but we came up with the design fairly quickly.

“We’re all business students, so creating a business plan, producing a product and marketing it in this way is a great way to consolidate what we’ve learnt on our course.”

Mr Tame added: “To do so whilst raising money for charity is a bonus.”

The principal of Middlesbrough College, Mike Hopkins, has given the designs his ‘seal of approval’ and has also been sponsored – along with other members of staff – to wear a pair of the team’s pants over his clothes.

Mr Hopkins said: “They’re great aren’t they? They’re very comfortable and the design looks fantastic.

“I’m confident we can raise a lot of money for a great cause, and the students winning the trip to India would be the icing on the cake.”

The winning team will be unveiled by Mr Ramsden in London on June 15.

The Pantrepreneur Challenge is a fun contest with a serious purpose that highlights the Gazelle approach of learning by doing.”

Richard Thorold, principal of Gateshead College, says although the challenge is fun it also has “a serious purpose” for emphasising the commitment of entrepreneurial colleges (see picture below).

“It is a real commercial initiative that has inspired our students and others to take part in a tangible and engaging way that brings entrepreneurial skills to life,” Mr Thorold said.

“It will also teach our students that there can be a strong social purpose in business and that although making money is important to keeping our economy going, it doesn’t have to be the only objective at the heart of a business.”

Team Squiggle from City College Norwich, which includes interactive media students Jordan Baker, Michael Thompson, Bethany Spring and Jamie Thurston, have opted to use Winston Churchill in their design (see below).

Mr Thompson said the inspiration for the design came from a feeling of pride surrounding the Olympic Games: “Winston Churchill is such an iconic figure and he was so proud of who he was, and of his country.

“We felt he represents the spirit of pride that we have in Team GB and in hosting the Olympic Games.”

Team Squiggle sold nearly 40 pairs on the first day of trading and is donating all of their profits to the Pi Foundation, which supports charitable work for the farming and factory communities in India.

Dick Palmer, chairman of Gazelle Global, and principal and chief executive of City College Norwich, said: “The Pantrepreneur Challenge is a fun contest with a serious purpose that highlights the Gazelle approach of learning by doing.

“It is a real commercial entrepreneurial initiative that has inspired our students, and students in colleges around the country, to take part and develop their entrepreneurial skills.”

Other FE colleges in the competition include New College Nottingham (see picture below), North Hertfordshire College and Warwickshire College.

Aaron Autwal, marketing and finance officer for ‘Team Olympants’ at Warwickshire College, said: “It’s been really good, teaching us to set up a business and giving us a real idea of what it’s all about.

“Everyone has got their roles to do and it’s quite a fun experience as well.”

Students at Barking & Dagenham College are competing under the name ‘Pantastic’ and have finished seven designs which represent the Olympic and Paralympic values.

Kirsty Sedgwick, a graphic design student at the college and CEO of Pantastic, said: “This has been a great experience for us, not only have we learnt so many business skills and about selling, we are also raising money for a great charity.

“It’s not all about us winning a trip to India; it’s about raising awareness of this great charity and what it supports.”

The students will be up against fierce competition from Gloucestershire College (see picture below), Oxford & Cherwell Valley College and Highbury College, among others.

Ruth Wigham, project coordinator and curriculum manager of business, professional studies, ICT and the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy at Oxford and Cherwell Valley College said: “It has been great to see different areas of the college pull together as a team and raise money for a great cause.

“It just goes to show that we all have an entrepreneur within us.”

Dominic Thompson, a business lecturer at Highbury College said: “The Highbury ‘pantrepreneurs’ have designed an excellent pair of pants that they are selling in aid of the charity set up by Pants to Poverty.

“They have a stall at the Love Southsea Festival and are also climbing Mount Snowdon in June to raise cash.

“It’s brilliant to see them applying their business knowledge and demonstrating entrepreneurial skills for such a good cause!”

GET SOME PANTS!

Middlesbrough College:
Pants can be bought at the stalls students will be running every Wednesday in May

Gateshead College:
Contact the Automotive Skills Academy reception on 0191 490 2430. The students will also be selling them at a Northumbrian Water event

City College Norwich:
Team Squiggle’s pants can be ordered through their web site at http://sites.google.com/site/teamsquigglepants/

New College Nottingham:
Pants can be ordered using the following email address: ellie.strickson@ncn.ac.uk

North Hertfordshire College:
Pants can be purchased searching ‘pants to poverty’ on Ebay, or by calling 01462 424242 and asking for the ‘kickass’ sales team

Warwickshire College:
Pants can be ordered using the following email address: olympants@live.co.uk

Amersham & Wycombe College:
Pants can be ordered by emailing: jphillips@amersham.ac.uk or calling 01494 585387

Barking & Dagenham College:
Pants can be ordered using the following email address: pantastic1@hotmail.co.uk, or at the main reception of the Rush Green Campus

Gloucestershire College:
Pants can be ordered by emailing: keckandbloomers@hotmail.com, or by calling the Arts and Media staff room on 01452 563323

Highbury College:
Pants can be ordered by emailing: dani.houghton@hotmail.co.uk, or by visiting the stall at Barclays commercial road on May 30

Lewisham College:
Pants can be ordered via http://pants-to-poverty.myshopify.com/

Liverpool College:
The team will be selling their pants across all college sites from Monday 14th May and at at various locations across Liverpool in May & June

Oxford & Cherwell Valley College:
Call Paul Bates on 01865 550550 (ext 50717) or email pbates@ocvc.ac.uk

Stow College:
Call +44 (0)844 249 8585 or email enquiries@stow.ac.uk and ask about pants

Walsall College:
The charity underwear is available to purchase from Bright Things, the College’s shop on Littleton Street West

Hollywood star visits Uxbridge College

A film star from the Twilight blockbuster has presented Uxbridge College filmmakers at an ‘Oscars’ awards ceremony.

MyAnna Buring, who plays Tanya in the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, congratulated students on their achievements in writing, directing, acting and production.

The Swedish-born actress has also recently appeared in the BBC’s White Heat and has been filming The Fuse for the channel.

A-level Media Studies pupils got to meet the actress at the College in West London.

Laurie Tallack, Media Lecturer, said: “Our students have produced some excellent work this year demonstrating a high level of technical and  creative skill. In particular they have used the industry standard editing software Final Cut Pro series 7 which will stand them in good stead in the job market.

“It was really inspiring for them to meet MyAnna, particularly as she has so much experience as an actor that she definitely knows a good film from a bad one!”

High flying students at Canterbury College

Canterbury College students learned about life at 40,000 feet when they became cabin crew aboard a Boeing 737 for a day.

The travel and tourism students were put through their paces on the 300-seater airliner by JARE Airline Training Partnership.

They learned how to deal with passengers and cope with emergencies by taking part in a series of simulation exercises during the day-long session at Bournemouth airport training centre. One exercise involved them rescuing babies from a cabin filled with smoke, and for another they had to put out a small fire on the plane. An airline security test had them locating replica guns and knives hidden on the plane.

Lauren Leggatt said: “The training was hard work but it was fun. Being able to do it rather than just hear about it in a classroom has made me consider doing it in the future.”

Rotherham College bring Shakespeare to life

People taking a stroll in Rotherham recently will have felt transported back in time to Ancient Greece after students from its local college took to the streets to prepare for their rendition of a Shakespeare classic.

Students performed their dress rehearsal of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream outside Rotherham College in Greek costume. With the Duke Theseus of Athens and the Amazon Queen, Hippolyta, taking the stage, the actors quickly caught the publics’ attention.

Angela Speed, curriculum leader of performing arts said: “The Performances will take place in an outdoor theatre at the Eastwood Building at our Town Centre campus.

“Audience members are more than welcome to bring a picnic and enjoy being entertained by the student’s beautiful fairy dances, strong acting and great story telling. It will be a good experience for our students so we are hoping for a big crowd.”

Former Barking and Dagenham College student shines as Olympic torch bearer

Alex Loukos enjoyed a hero’s welcome at Barking and Dagenham College when he returned from carrying the Olympic flame at the lighting ceremony in ancient Olympia, Greece.

“Just incredible” was how the former A Level student described being chosen for the honour. “For the first time in my life I was lost for words,” he said.

“I had to run about 350 metres to hand it to the next person and I was taking it slowly just so I could take it all in.”

Alex, whose father is Greek, was selected by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to carry the flame in Greece to represent the youth of London.  Cathy Walsh, principal and CEO at the College, said: “Alex is a fantastic role model for our current students and for all young people in Britain.”

Olympian inspires Priestly College students

An Olympian presented 60 trophies to students at Priestley College’s Sports Awards ceremony.

Gymnast Craig Heap told the athletes not to be afraid of failure. He said the pain he felt at failing to qualify for the 1996 Olympics became the moment that spurred him on to future success. He went on to win two Commonwealth Team Gold medals.

“Failure is really important,” he said. “It is a way of testing you to see if you are serious about what you are doing in life.” In the audience listening to Craig’s advice was Adam Wood, who was voted sports personality of the year by Priestley College’s students for his achievements in rugby. “All the work Craig has put in shows what it is possible to achieve and makes you appreciate the help you get from your coaches and tutors,” he said.

Stephanie Allcock also won the award for her achievements in netball. “It is a massive honour and the fact the whole college voted for the award is amazing,” she said.

Walsall College students realise their dream

Students at Walsall College got the chance to walk the red carpet at a film premiere event held at the College’s Jerome’s Restaurant.

The students were attending a premiere of films made about pupils’ dreams and aspirations for the future. The videos, which will be put online, will be advertised on local buses and bus shelters.

The video campaign is part of the College’s ‘Realise Your Dream’ recruitment drive and has been developed to show prospective students how the College can help them fulfil their career aspirations. Using the Twitter hashtag, ‘#mydreamis’, the College is also encouraging users to tweet their hopes for the future.

Aaron Watkinson, who is on a dance course and would like to become a professional dancer, is one of the students captured. He said: “I had a great day shooting the video and being a VIP at the premiere felt very special. I’m really happy with the final outcome and hopefully it will inspire others to achieve their dreams.”

Principal and chief executive Jatinder Sharma said: “It is wonderful that our students are so eager to get involved with promoting the College to new students and is a reflection on the community spirit that exists here.

Burnley College welcomes Royal visitors

Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh paid a visit to Burnley College as part of their Diamond Jubilee tour.

The royals were introduced to a number of students from the college who showcased their work. Pupils demonstrated the latest heart rate monitoring technologies and presented fashion, textile and 3D art pieces they had created.

One of the pupils they met was fourth year Engineering apprentice Michael Yankowski. “The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh asked me about what I was studying and the type of machines I work with,” he said. “They were both really polite and it was a very surreal experience. My mum is very proud that I was selected to meet them.”

Becky Blackett, a member of the College’s Netball Academy, also met the royal party. “I got a bit tongue tied when I was speaking to the Queen but they were both really friendly and I am so pleased that I was able to talk to them,” she said.

Doncaster College students make a splash

It’s been choppy waters for students at Doncaster College who have been trying to stay afloat on make-shift rafts on the town’s marina.

Pupils from the college’s sport and public services department were set the task of building an improvised raft with a limited amount of equipment in 30 minutes. Split into teams, they were given three barrels, three poles, one plank and seven ropes each. They had to research, build and test their rafts on the water before their time was up.

The aim of the activity was to help the students gain new skills in areas such as communication, problem solving and working as part of a team.

Lecturer Stewart Sanderson said: “It was a great experience for the learners and helped them with communication and team building skills.”