Ascent College students enter Dragon’s Den-style national enterprise competition
by Educate Magazine February 19, 2025 · Sixth Form & College News
Ascent Autism Specialist College, Newton-le-Willows, has entered a Dragon’s Den-style national enterprise competition held by the Peter Jones Foundation.
The competition will see them go head-to-head with students across the country as they compete to be crowned winners.
The Tycoon Enterprise Competition, established by the Peter Jones Foundation, encourages budding young entrepreneurs to develop unique business ideas and helps them gain a wealth of new and transferable skills.
This year, the competition stakes are higher than ever as the Tycoon Enterprise Competition sees over 200 businesses created by students nationally.
Across the college, six teams have created their own unique business ideas and plans. The budding young tycoons have received £1,000 in funding from Peter Jones CBE to kick-start their business, as part of his aim to give young people experience in starting and running a small business.
Split across the six teams, each team at the college received just over £166 for their businesses. Students from Ascent College have already launched their business ideas, with trading officially starting in October 2024.
The Ascent businesses include Bee Well, ASCENT You Pebbles, Magic Mats, aSCENT, Remarkable Gifts, and Bespoke Greeting Cards.
The teams have already kick-started their business, selling items at local events and fayre, including the Teenage Christmas Market, Earlestown, where students secured a stall to sell their goods.
At the college’s annual spring fayre extravaganza, each team will have a bespoke stall to sell their items to staff, parents or carers, and community members.
The teams meet regularly to record their enterprise activities and sales on the Tycoon Enterprise Competition platform, which displays a national leadership board.
Peter Jones CBE said: “I am thrilled that Ascent Autism Specialist College in Newton-le-Willows is taking part in this year’s Tycoon Enterprise Competition, which provides students across the country with their first taste of entrepreneurship.
“I am very excited to see the innovative and creative business ideas come to fruition and wish all students participating from Ascent College the very best of luck. It is exciting that we could have the next global business tycoon in the making.”
Julliet Doherty, head of adult services at Ascent College, commented: “We are incredibly proud of the entrepreneurial spirit shown by our students and the commitment demonstrated to ensure the success of their business ideas.
“Being part of the competition has supported them in gaining a wealth of new skills from money management to problem-solving to teamwork and communication.”
Students across the college can continue trading until Monday, 16 June 2025.
After the trading window has closed, Ascent College, alongside the other schools and colleges participating across the UK, will be assessed by the team at the Tycoon Enterprise Competition, and the finalists will be announced in July 2025.
