Budding creatives at Ron Dearing UTC have received a boost to help get their craft and art endeavours off the ground after securing Entrepreneur Bursaries.

Seven students in Years 11 to 14 successfully secured £50 seed funds to help them create arts and crafts products to sell at the school’s annual Christmas Arts Market.

As part of the bursary scheme, students were required to put together business plans which included calculating their material costs and expenses, expected income, and product details, to help them learn about finances, sales and business management.

Matthew Swain, Kaiden Ford, Oliwier Szulc, Isabelle Brown, Jayden Purnell, Jacob Kemp and Matthew Bestley were all successful in securing the bursary and are creating a wide range of products from ceramics, 3D printed lights, jewellery, posters and baked goods.

 

Talented Year 11 trio Matthew Swain, Kaiden Ford and Oliwier Szulc have joined forces to bring their vision to life.

The three friends who all enjoy experimenting with new 3D printing designs in their spare time have come together to produce a selection of 3D designs including Christmas decorations and gifts as well as non-seasonal items including quirky décor pieces.

 

Fellow Year 11 student Isabelle Brown is using her seed fund to help grow her blossoming jewellery business.

A budding jewellery maker, Isabelle has been creating unique jewellery pieces ranging from earrings and necklaces through to keyrings and hair clips for over 18 months but has struggled to find a platform to sell her items.

She explained: “Most commercial markets don’t allow under 16s to have stalls, so although I’ve been making jewellery for about a year and a half, I’ve not been able to sell my items and make the money back that I’ve spent on resources.

“The Ron Dearing Arts Market is great opportunity for young people to sell their products, and the bursary has helped me to buy more materials to continue creating new jewellery pieces.”

 

Year 12 student Jayden Purnell has been baking in his spare time for over a year.  He says the bursary has enabled him to turn his passion for baking into a commercial opportunity by allowing him to buy enough ingredients to bake on a larger scale, something he would not have been able to afford alone.

Meanwhile Year 13 student Jacob Kemp says the bursary has opened his eyes to new career possibilities which he’d not considered before, after enabling him to print his graphic designs as physical posters for the first time.

He explained: “I know I want to pursue a career involving graphic design and I thought the main career pathways would be to work for a company or be a freelance designer.

“Securing the bursary allowed me to actually print my designs as posters for the first time, which opened my eyes to the possibility of designing physical products which I can sell which is something I think I’d really enjoy.”

Arts market veteran, Matthew Bestley is hosting a stall at the market for the second year selling his unique ceramic goods.

The Year 14 student has a small business selling vases, bowls and sculptures which are decorated with expressive brush strokes.

He said: “Putting together the business plan for the bursary encouraged me to start seriously thinking about what goes into making a successful business, and having a stall at the market has also helped me connect with art lovers and start to build up some regular customers!”

 

The students will be selling their goods during the school’s third annual Christmas Market which will take place on Saturday, November 29, from 10am – 2pm in the Ron Catering UTC conference centre.

A variety of other local professional artists and crafters will also be attending the event to sell their unique, handmade products.  For younger visitors, there will also be face painting, a Santas’ letter writing activity and a Santa’s Grotto.

Ron Dearing UTC Principal, Sarah Pashley said: “We’re delighted to see so many of our talented students showcasing their work at this year’s Christmas Arts Market and it’s great that they’ll be showcasing their work alongside professional artists and craftspeople.

“The Entrepreneur Bursaries not only give our young people a helping hand financially to get their creative businesses off the ground, but they also encourage them to think more strategically about business management which will give them a solid foundation to build on as they take their business ideas forward.”

A former Ron Dearing UTC student is helping to shape the future of University Technical Colleges (UTCs) and inspire the next generation of students after being appointed to a national UTC Alumni Board.

Oliver Walkington has been appointed as the Vice Chair of the newly established UTC Alumni Board which has been launched by the Baker Dearing Educational Trust, a national charity which supports, advocates for and develops UTCs.

The Board is composed of nine alumni from UTCs across the country who have progressed to blossoming careers in a wide variety of sectors. Board members will guide strategic planning, build meaningful ties with employers and strengthen the bridge between education and industry, whilst also providing insight and guidance to current students.

Oliver, who is now a fully qualified Quantity Surveyor at one of Ron Dearing’s Founding Partners, Spencer Group, said he wanted to join the Board to share the knowledge and experience he has gained over the years with the next generation.

The 23-year-old said: “I’m really keen to give something back to the UTC students who are now in the position that I was six years ago.

“When you’re in school and starting to think about your future career, it can be overwhelming, so I want to help current students who may be a little bit lost and unsure what the future looks like for them by sharing my experiences and some of the things I’ve learnt along the way.

“One of our goals as the UTC Alumni Board is to engage with young people, provide more exposure to the variety of industries and career pathways, and empower them to make informed decisions about their future.”

The launch of the Board coincided with #thinkUTC Week, an annual initiative driven by Baker Dearing Education Trust to showcase the top-tier technical education provided by UTCs.

Oliver and fellow Board members visited UTCs during the week, to speak to students about their personal journeys and share details about the Board’s mission, with Oliver returning to his alma mater to speak to classes in Years 10 and 13.

During the sessions Oliver shared his journey from Ron Dearing student to qualified Quantity Surveyor and shared tips on what employers look for, how to prepare for the world of work and how to make the most of the unique opportunities a UTC offers.

He also hosted a Lunch and Learn session on Quantity Surveying for students in all year groups who wanted to learn more about what a career in the field looks like.

He said: “UTCs provide opportunities that students don’t get at any other school or college, they not only give students the technical knowledge and qualifications but crucially they help them become employable and develop the transferable skills employers want.

“The close relationship with employer partners also opens doors and helps put UTC students a step ahead of others. Building relationships with people who already work in the roles you aspire to, and getting an inside look at businesses through work placements and school activities is so beneficial.”

Oliver joined Ron Dearing UTC’s Sixth Form in 2018 and completed A-Levels in Maths, Further Maths and Physics, as well as a Cambridge Technical in Engineering.

Upon finishing Sixth Form he secured a Commercial Apprenticeship with Spencer Group, which included completing a Degree Apprenticeship in Quantity Surveying through Leeds Beckett University.

He is now also completing a Masters of Laws (LLM) in Construction Law to further his career and develop a solid understanding of methods which he can carry into real projects Spencer Group is working on.