Youth Entrepreneurship Annual Impact Report 25-26
The Youth Entrepreneurship Strategy at Bridgend College focuses on key areas identified by the Welsh Government. These are enabling entrepreneurship, engaging, empowering and equipping learners to be all that they can be through enterprise and accelerating student entrepreneurship.
The College receives much-appreciated financial support from the Welsh Government to assist with this work and is delighted to report the outputs for these focus areas below.
Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Education Highlights September 2025 – August 2026
- Level 3 Engineering learner, Dylan Evans, was Highly Commended at the National Innovation Awards in London in June for his extraordinary invention, the modular Hydro-Vein. Two other learners, Thomas Dowell and Jakub Szczech, were also very successful in the competition, making it into the top 10 with their idea for Janus Predictive Prosthetics.
- Having been a director of EEUK since 2023, Enterprise Champion, Ruth Rowe, was elected Vice President (People) of the organisation in June and took up her exciting new voluntary position in August.
- The bilingual Incident Room developed by Enterprise Champion, Ruth Rowe, Welsh Language Manager, Marion Evans and Trauma Approaches in Education Specialist, Rhian Adams, proved a huge hit with learners, with overwhelmingly positive feedback about the immersive skill-building experience.
- Y Siop, the preloved clothes shop on the Bridgend Campus that incorporates a Working Wardrobe hub, led to a further Working Wardrobe hub being established on the Pencoed campus.
- Liam James represented Bridgend College at the Inspiring Skills Excellence in Wales Enterprise Final at USW in February, showcasing his idea for a sustainable turf maintenance business. Liam also won the Enterprise Learner of the Year award at the Bridgend College Annual Awards.
- Bridgend Collegeâs partnership working with Emmaus South Wales has afforded learners fantastic opportunities, including the new trainee trusteeship.
Enterprising learners
- 2322 learners took part in âEngageâ enterprise activities
- 614 learners took part in âEmpowerâ enterprise activities to increase their entrepreneurial capacity
- Over 12,000 views for the online video campaign to promote Bridgend Collegeâs support for learners wanting to explore self-employment.
Accelerating student entrepreneurship
- 62 learners accessed one-to-one support and/or took positive steps to explore self-employment, e.g., attending Start Your Own Business Workshops.
- 7 learners and 2 alumni started their own business.
Enabling entrepreneurship
- Bridgend College is a member of EEUK
- Ruth Rowe is Vice President (People) of EEUK and an EEUK Fellow
- Bridgend College is a member of the Bridgend Business Forum
- Bridgend College is a member of Social Firms Wales
- Ruth Rowe represents Bridgend College at Regional Partners Meetings for business support organisations.
