Students from The College Ystrad Mynach have finished runners-up in a prestigious competition, in which they created a marketing campaign for a live business.
The Big Pitch, supported by The Apprentice’s Nick Hewer, allowed students to create a marketing campaign, for the South Wales Outdoor Activity Provider Group (SWOAPG), the representative organisation for all providers of outdoor activities in the Brecon Beacons National Park and south Wales area.
Their campaign objective, fixed to a budget of £30,000, was to increase awareness of outdoor activities to locals, visitors and tourists in south Wales.
The College Ystrad Mynach students’ campaign was focused on the creation of a new sports festival to promote a range of activities.
The students then contacted a range of companies and public bodies to ask if they would like to take part in the festival and received many positive answers, including the offer of free land to host the festival.
Having produced their marketing campaign – in the final round of the competition – the students had 10 minutes to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges, including Lowri Morgan, from BBC Sport and Jonathan Hill, head of ITV Wales.
Jonathan James, a 20-year-old electronics student from Bedwas, who formed part of the team, said: “It was brilliant to take part in the Big Pitch and, as an electronics student, the competition has opened by eyes to a completely different career.
“I finish the course later this year and I’m sure that marketing could be a new avenue for me, as I really enjoyed this challenge.”
Lesley Cottrell, Entrepreneurship Champion at The College was delighted with the result.
She said: “The students’ attitude throughout the competition was fantastic. They showed determination and resilience, and performed very well.
“For such a young group of students, with no prior experience in the field, to produce such an innovative and interesting marketing campaign is remarkable.”
Bryn Davies, Principal at The College Ystrad Mynach, added: “I’m delighted that the students finished in the top two of this exciting and challenging competition.
“We’re always looking to develop our students’ CVs and prepare them for the world of work beyond their college years and this competition is exactly the kind of challenge our students relish.”