First prize of £100 went to Team ‘HIVE’ who pitched an idea for a ‘bed-in-a-bag’ as a support for homeless people. Team members, Leanne Courtney, Helena O’Boyle and Celine Taggart who are all studying Level 4 HNC Social and Community Work, designed a sturdy multi-purpose bag for carrying possessions that could double up as a sleeping bag.
Team ‘Hydrate to Go’, (Sabrina Higgins and Anna Hamilton), came second with their idea for an easy to use assisted technology water bottle. As well as measuring fluid intake, it also sends reminder alarms to encourage people with memory loss to hydrate regularly. Sabrina and Anna are both studying a Level 4 course in Adult Care.
Team ‘Hug a Buddy’ filled second runner-up spot with their initiative for a ‘buddy’ attachment for children with autism or special needs. Hug a Buddy uses the power of positive pressure to reduce stress and anxiety levels in children with sensory issues. Team members, Hazel Campbell and Debs Braiden are doing a Level 5 course in Leadership and Management.
Teams HIVE, Hydrate to Go and Hug a Buddy go through to the next stage of the competition on Thursday May 6 to battle it out against the winners from the other five FE Colleges.
Jacqui McAllister, who co-ordinates the courses for all three teams at the College’s Newtownabbey campus, said she was delighted with their success as she knew how much work had gone into getting their pitches ready.
“The competition highlighted the importance of work placements and work-based learning. The students identified an issue that they recognised was causing problems during their work placement and then came up with a solution.”
As the FE sector Hub for Entrepreneurship, Northern Regional College is committed engaging with the other FE Colleges to promote and encourage entrepreneurship,
Congratulating everyone who took part, Irvine Abraham, Enterprise and International Manager at Northern Regional College, said he was delighted with the response to the competition which highlighted the potential social impact of innovation.
“Hosting this competition online was a challenge as we were not sure how the students would engage but teams from all five campuses took part and pitched some great ideas which was great. One of the judges joined us from his office in Tenerife which was typical of the commitment of everyone involved.
“We had a great variety of products pitched, all demonstrating a good understanding of different issues to be addressed and the teams designed prototypes and are in the process of getting user feedback. In addition to communication and presentation skills, the judging panel based their decision on the impact of the idea on four eligibility criteria: Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Social Impact and Green Environmental.”
Visit the Entrepreneurship Hub page for more information.