NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY AND TEDCO CELEBRATE 10 YEARS
Published on: Friday 21 January 2011
A leading North East Enterprise Agency is celebrating the ten year landmark of their partnership with one of the region's top universities after delivering a decade of enterprise and entrepreneurship support for students.
TEDCO began a partnership with Newcastle University at the start of the new millennium and have gone on to deliver business advice and support on their behalf for ten years.
Now continuing into the next decade, the partnership is a fantastic example of professional and educational organisations working together to create an effective environment of support for students and graduates exploring all options for their future.
With the support from TEDCO and Newcastle University several innovative businesses have been and are still being formed by current students and graduates, some of which may become significant employers for this region in the future.
Working as part of Rise Up, the enterprise and entrepreneurship campaign run by Newcastle University Careers Service, TEDCO advisers support students and graduates of Newcastle University who are in the process of exploring a business idea, have recently started their own business or would like to start a business now or in the future.
The partnership has inspired the creation of numerous impressive business ideas and start ups recognised by the University's own Enterprise Challenge, an annual competition which is open to all Newcastle University undergraduates, postgraduates and recent graduates. The competition gives entrants a unique opportunity to develop their entrepreneurial skills and get essential advice and support from industry experts such as TEDCO Business Advisers.
Winners of the Enterprise Challenge go on to compete in the final of Blueprint, the regional universities business plan competition of which Newcastle University's Enterprise Challenge is part.
Several entries, including self service bike hire company 'Whip Bikes', Specialist tea brand 'Char Brew' and limited edition footwear trader 'Sole Traders' have gone on to start up successful businesses having benefited from the support TEDCO deliver at the University which a fantastic reflection on the partnership between the Newcastle University Careers Service and the team from TEDCO.
Carole White, Business Support Manager at TEDCO said of the partnership:
"Our joint working with the University has gone from strength to strength, the results speak for themselves and are a tribute to the shared vision, drive and commitment to enterprise. We are proud to be working with such an amazing team."
Gareth Trainer, Assistant Director of the Careers Service at Newcastle University and Head of the Entrepreneurial Development Unit added:
"TEDCO has become an integral part of the enterprise and entrepreneurship offering here at the University and has been supporting its development from the very beginning. The partnership not only means that our entrepreneurial students and graduates get high quality advice when starting their ventures, but because TEDCO have clients across the North East, the Business Advisers help them to build networks of support across the region and beyond. This added value is very important to us and we look forward to growing the partnership further."
For more information on this press release contact Kerry Tudor on: (0191) 428 3435 or email ktudor@tedco.org.