Aston University has become the first university in the West Midlands to host the “NatWest Mobile Business School”.
The ‘NatWest bus’ arrived on campus, as part of a national programme in which NatWest aim to reach students and provide advice on business start-ups.
NatWest business advisors were available to provide short consultation sessions to individuals and groups of students, on their business ideas.
The event was organised in conjunction with the Aston University led innovative BSEEN (Birmingham Skills for Enterprise and Employability Network). Throughout the day over 50 Aston students were given presentations and took part in a short interactive quiz ‘Are you ready to run your own business’ and had a chance ask questions.
Aston students were keen to share their highlights of their day.
Carlos Fernandez, final year Business and Management said: “I’m glad I came today it has helped me really focus on my business idea and identify potential challenges that I had not thought about before, so it has been rewarding”
“Speaking to the NatWest advisors really opened my eyes to not only the benefits of starting my own business but also the challenges that it could bring. This will help me better plan” said Joseph Amoah final year Business Computing & IT.
Carolyn Keenan, BSEEN Project Manager said; “At Aston University we want to inspire our students to develop their business ideas and grow confidence in their skills. This real world learning provides opportunity to build practical skills and the knowledge to start-up businesses in the future .”
The BSEEN programme is an innovative scheme offering an attractive package of intensive start up support to for new ventures. The scheme financed by the West Midlands European Regional Development Fund, managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), is a collaborative initiative between Aston University, University of Birmingham and Birmingham City University.
