Plymouth Entrepreneurs Society graduates with a First in national awards

A Plymouth University society that encourages students to develop their entrepreneurial skills has been named as the best in the UK.

NACUE, the National Association of College and University Entrepreneurs, awarded their Enterprise Society of the Year Award for 2014 to Plymouth for its delivery of innovative events, its proactive engagement with students, and its financial sustainability.

The society is in only its third year of operation, having been set up by Business Enterprise students Tom Scott and Theo Moule. But just 12 months on from being recognised by NACUE as Network Builder of the Year, they’ve graduated to its most prestigious award.

Tom, 24, and Theo, 21, along with current President of the Society James Holden, 20, have built the society to encompass a permanent membership of around 500 students, and in the past year it's hosted 700 people in society-run events, including national dates such as the Start-Up Britain Tour.

Tom said: “We’re a young society, but as this award demonstrates, we’re up among the very best entrepreneur networks in the country. In fact, it's fair to say that what we’ve achieved in the space of three years, others have taken a decade to realise. And that comes down to our genuine passion for helping people and a passion for business – it’s a good combination.”

The University supported Tom and Theo in establishing the entrepreneurs society by offering them paid internships to work full-time on its set-up. It has also provided funding for a number of its programmes.

In turn, the society has supported 28 business start-ups, and enrolled 30 students on Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) courses to provide extra-curricular employability skills in areas such as accounting, business law and human resources.

Theo said: “The support from the University has been key to us achieving our goals this year, whether through finance or mentoring. Even in the past few weeks, a commercial project has spun off into a business called The Schools Project, which will see the best students going into schools and colleges to provide interactive workshops on communication, digital literacy and enterprise. This business has been funded by Plymouth University in order to deliver a pilot in six schools this summer.”

The society has successfully bid for around £40,000 in funding, and has worked in partnership with a number of external companies, including digital experts txtNation, who have provided them with the technology to communicate with all of their members.

It was James that picked up the commemorative plaque at the NACUE awards night in London. He said: “To be ranked first out of 110 other entrepreneurs societies in the UK is a magnificent achievement, and I think the secret to our success is that we’re open to everyone. Whether you’re a fan of The Apprentice or someone with a clear business plan and looking for funding, we’re working to provide opportunities for everyone.”

The award is the second major University success in the space of a month, after it won the national FLUX competition for the fourth time in seven years.