Telford college students win two awards after creating business and selling products at trade fair

Eight Telford college students have set up Tokens of Hope, making and selling hand-made resin keychains as part of the Young Enterprise programme.

The youngsters, Anam Naik, Elliott Ward, Shadday Chimanya, Luke Goddard, Vishal Khanna, Petra Bubencikova, Jessica McCormick, and Eva Osei-Mensah, then set up a stand inside Telford Centre as part of a Young Enterprise trade fair. 

They sold products worth more than £100, and won an award for the 'best trade fair stand' and the 'most impressive business'.

The college students were praised for their planning, presentation and engagement with Telford shoppers during the exercise. 

Regional educational partnerships manager at Young Enterprise, Teresa Fisher said: "The Telford College students were fabulous. 

"They were the only team to do a rota of 'staff' so they were all involved in manning the stand, without anyone having long shifts. I think that helped their enthusiasm staying high all day. They also made the first sale of the day.

"Their stand was laid out and planned well, so the product was well displayed and looked appealing for the shoppers.

"For many students, engagement with the public is terrifying, but the students had positive body language, made eye contact and had smiles for all who passed by their stand."

The Young Enterprise programme works in partnership with local schools, businesses and volunteers and aims to inspire young people to learn and succeed through enterprise. 

On April 30, the college students will have another opportunity to sell their hand-made products before they will be interviewed by judges and deliver a presentation about their business and their journey so far.

Tokens of Hope marketing manager, Shadday Chimanya added: "We have significantly improved our communication skills through pitching our business to a panel of judges and engaging with a diverse range of customers. 

"Additionally, we have developed essential problem-solving skills by conducting research and implementing quality control measures to ensure the production of high-quality keychains. 

"The trade fair day proved to be a valuable experience, presenting us with numerous challenges, including rejections from some customers. However, we persevered as a team. We embraced the day as an opportunity for team building and were proud to win two out of six awards.

"Overall, our experiences have been both entertaining and educational, shaping us into the best versions of ourselves through the setbacks we have faced and overcome."