STUDENTS marked a special achievement as they were the first youngsters to graduate from the town’s newest business school backed by one of the country’s top entrepreneurs who is known to millions in the TV world.
Qaylee Hill, Sam Finch, Gemma Pearson and Amy Bains completed the Level 2 Certification in Understanding Enterprise and Entrepreneurship in just over 14 weeks at Malvern Business Academy which is linked to BBC Dragons’ Den star Peter Jones.
Beryl Cuckney launched the academy, located in Belle Vue Terrace, in collaboration with Mr Jones in 2015 which aims to support young people from the area to gain enterprise skills.
The scheme is part of the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy which is building a nationwide network of colleges and providers to transform attitudes to entrepreneurship and enterprise education.
Nineteen-year-old student Qaylee said: “The course has made me much more confident. I am more trusting of people. I am open to more opportunities now and can take on more than I realised I could.”
Fellow student Gemma added: “The course has turned my life around. I was in a very dark place before and didn’t feel good enough to get a job.
“I have proved to myself I am good enough through being in the Academy and have had amazing support. I am now running a business in dog breeding.”
Joined by family, friends and a representative from the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy, the youngsters enjoyed a graduation celebration at Malvern Town Football Club’s HDAnywhere Community Stadium.
The afternoon was a fantastic opportunity for everyone to look back at their achievements over the past year alongside the national graduation celebration which the students attended at Freemasons Hall in London.
Business Academy founder Beryl said: “I wanted to put something back into the local community. Everybody has so much more to give than they think and I wanted to look for those who have been left behind.
“I take a completely unique approach by bringing the community together to support these young people. The reward is that they all have a different future now with many different options. I now want to look at how the Academy moves forward.”
Mr Jones added: “With record levels of youth unemployment, I believe it is a priority to inspire more young people across Britain to consider a different career path – an entrepreneurial one.”
For further information about Malvern Business Academy visit www.malvernbusinessacademy.com or contact Beryl on 07968 052076.
