Enterprising University of Bolton students reach national awards final

Management students from the University of Bolton are successfully through to the national finals of a major enterprise award. The team – Louise Wray, Adam Knight, Yahya Khojbalwala and Yamundow Cham – won two awards in the regional final of the Young Enterprise Awards 2019 held at the University Centre, Blackburn College. It scooped the Strategic Marketing Excellence award and the 2019 Start-Up Programme Winning Finalist Award for the North West.

The University of Bolton has been running the Start-Up programme with Young Enterprise for several years as part of an Entrepreneurship module. It inspires university-level students across the country to set up and run a real business or social enterprise over an academic year. The winning team set up a business called ‘LinkBridge’, which is developing a mobile app to connect people with businesses in Bolton town centre. Student Louise Wray, who is also Managing Director of LinkBridge, said: “LinkBridge is working alongside Bolton Council’s £1 billion masterplan to bring people back to the high street.” Dr Fredrick Agboma, Senior Lecturer at the University of Bolton, said: “While education in the broad sense is important for the development and prosperity of entrepreneurship, the University of Bolton recognises the greater role of a more specified enterprise and entrepreneurship education. “The success of LinkBridge at the regional final validates the Institute of Management’s practice-based approach to enterprise and entrepreneurship education. “Rather than traditional lectures, learn-by-doing provides students with opportunities to demonstrate and test in-class learning. “It serves to equip our students with the mindset and competencies required to set up and manage a new business.” Katie Green, of the Visual Merchandising Team, from John Lewis and Partners, Liverpool One, said: “It is important for us to support the Young Enterprise programme as it is inspiring to see the development of young businesses and see how our skills as John Lewis Partners have been taken on board and utilised by the students. “It was very rewarding to see this put into practice by the students from the University of Bolton.”

The national final will be held at Chessington World of Adventures theme park on May 15.