Schools up for challenge

Budding entrepreneurs from Airdrie Academy and St Ambrose and St Andrew’s high schools in Coatbridge are getting set for North Lanarkshire’s eighth annual business challenge.

The Monklands teams were among 72 third-year pupils from 16 schools attending the launch of the area’s annual “dragon’s lair” contest at Atrium business centre in Coatbridge.

It will see them develop business plans, with the top six entrants then being invited to pitch their ideas in the final to judges Scott Webb of UK Steel Enterprises; Denise Canning of 121 HR Solutions, Joanne Telfer of Ten Live Group and Danny Murphy of Gordon Ferguson CA.

Participants heard from 2017 winners Callum Sergeant, Colin Gass and Cameron Gunn – who designed a magnetic door lock that opens using a mobile phone and features a fingerprint or face scanner, and who are now working on further inventions including a cloud data storage system in place of traditional aircraft black boxes.

Also speaking to this year’s teams were Kieran Aitken, the founder of Orbit Education Enterprises, which helps young people launch their own businesses; and advisers from Business Gateway Lanarkshire.

Business Gateway Lanarkshire operations manager Graeme Currie said: “We’re proud to have hosted Dragon’s Lair at Atrium business centre since it began in 2010.

“It’s great not only to see the initiative grow each year, but also to see the confidence of our young people increase as they present some fantastic business ideas and plans.”