Cwmtawe Students Take Part In Entrepreneurship Event

As part of the school work experience week in July, a number of year ten pupils from Cwmtawe Community School took part in a visit to Sandfields Business Centre in Port Talbot. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The event was organised by the Council’s Regeneration & Economic Development Team, with the aim of encouraging students to think entrepreneurially and to gain an understanding of the qualities employers find important. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The students were greeted by the Leader of the council, Cllr Ali Thomas, who spoke to them about his work experiences and encouraged them to realise their full potential. The students then had the opportunity to tour the centre, where they spent time with Buffon Film and Media Managing Director Adam Amor who spoke about his business experiences in film productions. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The students were then given an overview of the centre’s history as well as local information on support and loan grants for local start-up businesses. Videos were also shown of local business people based at the centre – covering how the business started, what support they received as well as the pros & cons of self- employment. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Council Leader, Cllr Ali Thomas, said: “One of the Council’s priorities has been to raise educational standards and achievement, and an opportunity for students to gain some entrepreneurial skills exemplifies this. I was proud to share some of my work experiences with the students, and I hope the experience they gained at the event helps them in the future.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

To finish the event, all of the students received a certificate of participation as evidence for their student portfolios. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​