Budding entrepreneurs from an Aberdeenshire school have shared their enterprising ideas during a visit to the University.
Around a dozen S4-S6 students from Mintlaw Academy were on campus in Old Aberdeen on Tuesday, February 7 as part of an ongoing engagement project with the Business School.
The third in a series of sessions, the students gave an update on their progress towards developing projects that can be run as full enterprises in the future. The visit built on earlier work in which they learned about the importance of innovative product development in community-inspired projects, developing business plans, good branding and the basics of marketing and advertising.
After the presentations, the youngsters were given a tour of campus, including the new Science Teaching Hub and the robotics lab at the Fraser Noble Building, as well as some of the more historic buildings. Completing their University experience, they heard about the different routes into higher education and what student life is like from a representative of Aberdeen University Student Association.
Event organiser Pam Cumming, Schools Engagement Officer at the Business School, said: “We’ve been working with this group since October 2022 and it’s been great to see them grow and develop new skills as they broaden their understanding, not just of the world of business, but also of what studying at university is like.
“We’ve had a lot of fun working together over the months and I hope the workshops have demystified the concept of succeeding in business, nurtured their entrepreneurial skills and helped them consider their possible career pathways from a different perspective.”
Gillian Armstrong, ASL Teacher from Mintlaw Academy, said: “We are delighted to have forged a strong link with the Business school to allow our young people the opportunity to develop their entrepreneurial skills and confidence to pitch their business in a real life context.
“The partnership has allowed the learners to grow as individuals, experience new places and see the opportunities available to them at the University of Aberdeen as well as the different learning pathways available to them. The pupils have had so much fun during the project and we really look forward to developing this partnership further.”
After the visit, one S4 pupil said: “I liked being told about TAU Racing, the history of all the buildings was interesting too and I liked how accessible it was for me. I would like to go back.”