A group of student from across the University were recently recognised in the top four in the country for their social enterprise projects? beating 39 other competing universities in the UK.
The students competed in the global Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) competition in London? reaching the final four.
The annual SIFE competition challenges students globally to create enterprises that are ethical? sustainable and improve people’s quality of life both locally and around the world. The competition runs in over 40 countries worldwide. SIFE UK has been established for 9 years with an estimates 2?500 university students taking part in the programme each year? making this the largest university enterprise competition in the UK.
Six students represented the University from a team of 40 who have been involved in SIFE this year. The students presented six of their enterprise projects, including a local based training programme to help get young people not in education, employment or training (NEET’s) back into training or employment. The team also run two international projects that have helped 42 families create farming businesses in Madagascar and Sierra Leone.
All projects run by the students are funded by their social enterprises, which consist of a branded clothing business, a research consultancy and a website review consultancy.
James Stewardson, the current President of the SIFE BOB体育登录网址_欧宝体育官网平台-APP|下载 team commented: “We’re a relatively new SIFE team in the UK, having entered the competition only twice, so to be recognised as one of the top four University teams in the UK in just 18 months is a fantastic achievement. This has motivated us to continue growing the programme to help change lives both locally and internationally through our business projects.”
This year’s winning team were the University of Sheffield, followed by Kings College London and in joint third place was the University of BOB体育登录网址_欧宝体育官网平台-APP|下载 and Queens University Belfast.
Student Enterprise Officer Helena Schulze, who won the UK University Advisor of the Year award as part of the competitions says: “SIFE is all about experiencing enterprise first hand so it’s great to see students who partake in SIFE develop into confident and commercially aware young adults who are an asset to our social and business community. Being one of the top four teams in the country is a testament to all the hard work the students have put into running these real life projects. With the support of the University, these projects will continue to grow, adding to our students’ university experience and providing value to our local community.”