Aycliffe Today Business Aycliffe Today Business Issue 35 | Página 21

The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 21
Aycliffe firm Roman, partnered with Barnard
Castle School, won the Marketing and
Branding Award at this year’s FBM.
Most Effective Use of Technology – King James
I Academy, in Bishop Auckland, with their car
park space detector, partnered by Bignall Group
Most Effective Use of Networks –
Woodham Academy, in Newton
Aycliffe, for their smart wheelchair
accessories, partnered by EBAC
“In my experience, you really see the
students develop throughout the 10 months
that they spend with you.
“It’s not necessarily about winning the
competition, it's about seeing young people
progress and it's a great platform for them to
build on as they go forward.”
Currie believes taking part in something
like FBM gives students a kind of gold star
status when it comes to job applications.
Ebac moved to Aycliffe from Bishop
Auckland nine years ago, with all but one
of their workforce making the switch with
them.
They currently employ 250 people, most
of who live within a 10-mile radius of the
Business Park.
He said: “I think schools and colleges do
an excellent job of producing young people
with skills and qualifications, but how do you
determine who will be the most suitable in a
working environment?
“As an employer, if I look at a young
person’s CV and they have something like
FBM on it, that stands out as a real highlight
for me because they have had that exposure
to the workplace and how it functions.
“I think FBM is a great way of letting local
youngsters know the opportunities that are
out there and available to them.”
Woodham gained a real insight into Ebac's
inner workings, Currie added, giving the
students a flavour of possible career paths.
“We explain to them that we have a whole
range of different people working across a
broad spectrum,” he said.
“Of course, we have production operators
given the nature of our business, but we also
have product designers, IT staff and foreign
language speakers as well.
“I think it's important for the students to
see what exactly goes on in a workplace.
“Putting things together is at the heart of
industry but it's not just about that, there is a
whole spectrum around the edges that goes
into it as well.
“So I think FBM is a fantastic initiative for a
whole number of reasons.”
FBM teams must complete six challenges,
culminating in a Dragons’ Den style
presentation in front of a panel of judges
including Business Durham's Business
Development Director Sarah Slaven and
Professor Brian Tanner, an entrepreneur and
physicist.
Ideas in this year's competition included
a rewards app for people who scan their
rubbish before throwing it away and a smart
lighting system for rural roads to reduce light
pollution.
The grand final event at the Xcel Centre
was hosted by BBC Radio Newcastle
presenter Charlie Charlton.
Eleven prizes were up for grabs, including
a first prize and two runners'-up prizes, with
a cash award going to each of the top three
schools to help develop their enterprise
activities, and shopping vouchers for the
students.
Sarah Miller, assistant head of year 8 at St
John's Catholic School in Bishop Auckland,
gave her thumbs-up to FBM.
“It's about expanding students' horizons
in terms of what professions and jobs are
actually out there in the market that they
don't often have that much of an opportunity
to engage with,” she said.
John Bignall, director of the Bignall Group,
described FBM as a one-off project worth
shouting about.
“To the best of my knowledge, FBM is
unique,” he said. “It is just such a good
scheme.
“One of the teachers told me that when
her students moved into Business Studies,
those that had done FBM were a year ahead
and I thought: 'how fantastic'.”
And David Richardson, from Short
Richardson & Forth Solicitors, said FBM
fosters an important self-belief in the
youngsters who take part, encouraging them
to step out of themselves and realise their
potential.
“I worked in London for a number of years
and everybody down there told me they
were brilliant,” he explained.
“You come to the North East and there is
more of a confidence issue.
“There is no difference in skills or talent,
it's about confidence,” he added.
THE
WINNERS
Eighteen schools took part in the
competition. The full list of prize
winners were:
• Mo st Effective Team – St Bede’s
Catholic School and Sixth Form
Centre, in Lanchester, with their
smart sensory box, partnered by
Dyer Engineering
• Best Prototype Design – The Oaks
Secondary School, Spennymoor,
with their smart recycling bin,
partnered by South Durham
Enterprise Agency
• Best Brand Name and Logo –
Barnard Castle School with Pro20 –
hydrogen fuel, partnered by Roman
• Best Environmental Business –
Greenfield Community College, in
Newton Aycliffe, with their electric
bin, partnered by Frank’s the
Flooring Store
• Most Effective Use of Technology
– King James I Academy, in Bishop
Auckland, with their car park space
detector, partnered by Bignall
Group
• Best Financial Plan - Belmont
Community School, near Durham,
with their smart key holder,
partnered by Waterstons
• Best Presentation – St Leonard’s
Catholic School, in Durham, with
their street library, partnered by
Concision
• Most Effective Use of Networks
– Woodham Academy, in Newton
Aycliffe, for their smart wheelchair
accessories, partnered by EBAC