Coleg Cambria business teams take first and second place in Sony entrepreneur contest

NOT one but two Coleg Cambria teams struck a chord with a music giant by winning a prestigious business contest.

Students from across the country attended the Liberty Stadium in Swansea for the popular Business in the Bay competition.

Organised by the School of Management at Swansea University, the event was judged by a panel of experts from Japanese music and media group Sony, who ran the rule over business pitches by 30 future entrepreneurs.

Two teams of learners from the college’s foundation degree in Applied Business Management came first and second in the finals, an unprecedented result that was praised by Lesley Rasmussen, Deputy Director of Cambria Business School, based in Northop.

“We are so proud of the students, the knowledge and attitude they showed during the competition was incredible,” said Mrs Rasmussen.

“The ‘applied’ element of the foundation degree was a factor as the groups presented well and showed great product knowledge throughout, which the judges remarked on.”

Rachel Whitton, Programme Leader for the degree, added: “Gaining first and second place against fierce competition at such a high-profile event is outstanding.

“The judges from Sony looked at examples of teamwork and business credibility, and our students answered all of their questions brilliantly, providing examples and giving a slick and professional presentation.

“Sony expressed how impressed they were with the winners for hitting every area of the competition’s criteria and gave praise to both teams as the final result was very close between them.”

The £3.5m Cambria Business School only opened 15 months ago but has already achieved remarkable results.

The School works closely with Swansea University – which accredits the degree – and industry leaders to ensure the qualification gives learners the best chance of pursuing their chosen career on graduating.

Among them is Stacey Adams, who was on the winning team at Business in the Bay and thrilled to return to North Wales with the trophy.

“It was an amazing competition that created an opportunity to test the skills we’ve learnt on the degree so far and also to learn valuable new skills under pressure,” she said.