Having set up a new Business Enterprise activity for pupils in Years 11 and 12 in September, the opportunity to participate in the Youth Market is part of a larger overall programme of events for Rendcomb College's aspiring entrepreneurs. 

The College currently has two groups running businesses: 

• Capt-ECO is run by six Year 12 students. They are helping to solve an environmental problem whilst at the same time making some money with their plastic recycling and 3D printing business.
• Fugio is a clothing company specialising in casual gym wear run by six Year 11 pupils.

Capt-ECO are collecting plastic from across Rendcomb College through a combination of competitions in the school houses for the most plastic collected and bins located strategically around campus. They then transform this used plastic into filament for 3D printers which can then be used to produce stationery products.

Fugio have designed their own branding which they will add to various items of clothing along with unique personalisation. They hope to initially sell items to other pupils but eventually branch out to wider audiences.

At the Cirencester Youth Market, both groups had a stand where members of the public were able to ask questions. This provided both groups with a good opportunity to gain feedback on their business ideas and also develop employability skills.

During the day, two judges (Nigel Robbins, Cirencester Mayor, and Annmarie Thurgood, President of the Cirencester Chamber of Commerce) spoke to all stall holders in order to decide on the “Best Business Stall” and “Best Business Concept”.

Capt-ECO were ‘highly commended’ for their business concept by the Mayor.

The Cirencester Youth Market is open anyone under the age of 25 living in the GL7 area. The event is organised by Cirencester Town Council and the E4 Group, which aims to inspire and support the enterprising young people within Cirencester. The Market provides a strong platform to either test business ideas or to sharpen sales and merchandising techniques.

The Business Enterprise initiative at Rendcomb College provides an opportunity for pupils to set up and run a business alongside their academic studies. Already a few months in, the pupils have benefited from a ‘Business Model Canvas’ session and ‘Dragons Den’ event both held at the Royal Agricultural University. The next stage is for the pupils to present at an awards event in May hosted by the RAU. 

Mrs Hannah Ash, Head of Economics and Business Studies at Rendcomb College, helped set up the Cirencester Youth Market four years ago and was delighted that the school were able to participate for the first time as a school explaining: “we have such dedicated and innovate pupils at Rendcomb, it has been fantastic to be able to provide them with a platform by which to develop their entrepreneurial skills. I have seen a big development in the way they are problem solving and working together as a result of this journey they are embarking on. There is still much work for them to do to make their businesses successful, but this has been a good start and I look forward to supporting them to the next step over the coming months”.

Marketing Manager of Capt-ECO, Anthony Wong said: “The youth market was a great experience for us. We spoke to lots of people who think we have a good idea and it has motivated us to take the next steps in our business as soon as possible. It was also helpful to see other business stalls and get ideas for how we can better promote ourselves as we continue to grow.”