education & business
Solent and Saints target joint goal
This month sees Southampton Solent University, Saints Foundation, Southampton Football Club and local business Drive Personnel team up for an exciting new initiative which aims to promote students’ entrepreneurial expertise and raise funds for charity at the same time
The Pitch gives teams of students the opportunity to put together a business plan with the aim of winning one of 10 pots of £1,000 worth of seed funding.
The successful teams will then have until May 2017 to turn their ideas and money into reality and hopefully raise hundreds of pounds for Saints Foundation, an independent charity aligned to Southampton Football Club that supports young people and adults at risk in and around the city.
Gillian Saieva, head of business, finance and accounting at the university’s School of Business, Law and Communications, says it’s a great opportunity for students.
“We were delighted when the Foundation approached us. They were looking for a partner and, thanks to our high profile within the city, they saw us as the ‘go-to’ business school which could give them access to a wide range of students,” she said.
“The project fits really well with our own objectives and values as an organisation. We hold the student experience at the heart of everything we do, and this project will allow students – from local through to international – to all develop a sense of belonging to the city, which is an important part of the overall student experience.”
Amy Bennett, fundraising officer at the Foundation, said: “Saints Foundation is delighted to be working in partnership with Southampton Football Club, Drive Personnel and Solent University on this new and exciting project. In everything that we do, our mission is to inspire people of all ages and abilities to fulfil their potential. The Pitch will not only allow us to raise vital funds for Saints Foundation, but will provide valuable learning and development opportunities to students at Solent University.”
Local recruitment HGV specialist Drive Personnel is providing the seed funding.
Teams of students from the School of Business, Law and Communications have until November 13 to register their interest in taking part, after which they will be invited to a major launch event at St Mary’s Stadium on Tuesday, November 15, complete with workshops, lectures and plenty of information about the programme.
Once the plans have been submitted, the judges will whittle them down to 15 shortlisted teams who will pitch for the 10 pots of seed funding in front of a panel of experts in mid-January.
“It will be rather like a Dragon’s Den approach,” continued Saieva. “The teams have a real chance to think outside the box,
to be innovative and creative and show how they can invest the £1,000 in order to deliver a return for the charity.
“Our culture is all about enterprise creation and innovation, so this is the perfect fit. During the process, students will have to pitch ideas, plan, source products, use negotiation and selling skills, all of which will help them refine their future employability skills.”
Although this is the first time such a substantial sum of money has been on offer, she says previous business challenge events have seen students organise everything from fund-raising music nights to buying and selling chocolate bars.
Once the top 10 teams have been chosen, university staff will provide mentoring and monitoring support, and halfway through the process the students will have to provide a progress update, demonstrating the milestones achieved against their business plan.
Next May, when The Pitch draws to a close, a major celebration event will give teams the chance to detail their projects, highlighting their experiences, successes and difficulties. Among the awards will be a special trophy for the team that has raised the most money.
Saints Foundation works across six key themes: Youth Inclusion, Lifelong Learning, Health & Wellbeing, Education, Schools & Enterprise and Football & Sports Development, and invests over £1.5 million a year supporting local communities.
Gillian Saieva 023 8201 3988
gillian.saieva@
solent.ac.uk solent.ac.uk saintsfoundation.co.uk
From left: Amy Bennett, Gareth Rogers and Gillian Saieva
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businessmag.co.uk
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH COAST – NOVEMBER 2016
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