Students enter business world
A wetsuit with an in-built life jacket was among practical design ideas Nayland College students have pitched to local businesses.
Around 80 Year 10 and 11 students from the school spent three days creating a product design that could realistically translate into a business product.
The team exercise is part of the BP Business Challenge run through the Young Enterprise Trust, a charity that aims to develop New Zealand’s youth into entrepreneurs and businesspeople.
‘‘Students came up with a problem for something and then created a solution to solve it,’’ said Nayland College teacher Alice Scott.
The 10 business teams included a chief executive officer and marketers who took it in turns to present their ideas.
One group of year 10 and 11 students created a ‘Lifesuit’, a wetsuit designed to have an in- built life jacket, activated simply by pulling a tag attached to the product.
‘‘We started by thinking there was a need for kayakers who needed some safety and not have to wear something so bulky,’’ said student Fynn Sawyer.
His group pitched the idea to five local business owners with 10-minute slots for each.
‘‘They seemed to think it was a good idea and [the product] would help with safety,’’ said Sawyer.
‘‘[The challenge] is a really good idea because it is teaching us real life skills we can use in the business industry.’’
Other group ideas from students included a bed that shakes the sleeper awake and earphones with a protective rubber casing to stop them from breaking easily.
Nayland College economics and business teacher Nigel Lineham said he was impressed with the standard of ideas from students this year.
‘‘They’ve presented really well and there is a really good mix of ideas,’’ said Lineham.
He said the programme was also a good opportunity for year 10 and 11 students to mix with each other.
‘‘They started out on the first day being a bit shy of each other but I’ve seen the confidence grow,’’ he said.
Scott said it was amazing how far the students had come in three days, many having started with little knowledge about the business industry.
Nayland College have participated in the BP challenge for a number of years. Scott said students in previous years had excelled beyond the challenge and developed business ideas further by putting them in the market.