Westminster boosts employability and entrepreneurship with Engagement Week

Between 28 October and 1 November, students attended a range of events including the Entrepreneurship World Café, an entrepreneurship poster session, the Enterprise Festival and an all-women marketing panel titled Today’s Westminster, Tomorrow the World.

As part of the Entrepreneurship World Café event, Business Management (Entrepreneurship) BA Honours students had the chance to meet diverse entrepreneurs to learn from their experiences and discuss the enterprise ideas that they are developing for their pitch assessments. The event was part of the Commercialising an Enterprise module run for final year students by Darrell Kofkin, Senior Lecturer of Social Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurship.

The Today’s Westminster, Tomorrow the World event took place on 28 October and gave Marketing Communications MA/MSc and Marketing Management MA/MSc students the chance to listen to an all-women marketing panel discussing how to make waves in the industry and reach their full potential. Yasmin Kulasi, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, mediated the panel that was made up of industry professionals and Westminster alumni.

Westminster Honorary Doctorate and renowned entrepreneur Levi Roots also got fully in the swing of Engagement Week. He took part in an In Conversation with Levi Roots event, where students had the chance to ask him questions and learn about his journey as an entrepreneur, and he supported students at the entrepreneurship poster event and the Enterprise Festival. 

The Enterprise Festival brought students and external organisations together to celebrate all things business. The theme was Let your Curiosity Blossom and focused on the early stages of ideas and passions where students can find similarities between themselves and seasoned entrepreneurs to foster curiosity and inspiration.

As part of the festival, students studying on the New Venture Creation module, which is led by Deborah Rose, Lecturer in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, had the chance to take part in a poster session which made up part of their official assessment. During the session students showcased their entrepreneurial ideas to a panel of industry leaders including Roots. Each student received insightful feedback on how to build on their business ideas, which they took on board and used on 12 November when they had the opportunity to present again, showcasing how they had incorporated the feedback.

During the festival, two Westminster students also pitched their business ideas to the audience. One student was Ashton Williams-Brown, Business Management (Entrepreneurship) BA Honours student, who showcased his app idea Relevate. The app uses AI technology to gamify revision. After struggling to revise for his A-Levels during the Covid-19 pandemic, Ashton realised that turning revision into a game would help information sink in and took this on to help others who may find themselves in the same position as him.

About the app Ashton said: "Pitching Relevate to Levi Roots was more than nerve-wracking, but it was a fantastic opportunity to share my vision and my genuine passion for helping students struggling with exams, as I did. The feedback I received from the Enterprise Festival was incredible and has really inspired me to pursue Relevate further.”

Next up was Ehsan Tahmid, who studies with Ashton on the Business Management (Entrepreneurship) BA Honours course. Ehsan pitched his concept EnvoiMedia, which aims to help Islamic brands or Muslim business owners grow their brands online without compromising their religious values. This includes helping these brands generate engagement and views on their videos without using specific types of music that are prohibited in Islam. 

Ehsan said: "Pitching my idea to Levi was an exciting and nerve-racking experience, and I'm incredibly grateful to my friends and lecturers who pushed me to take this opportunity. I'm humbled to see this idea stemming from challenges that I, and many other young Muslims, face develop over time from an idea for coursework to a potential business venture. Getting the green light from Levi and all the feedback I got from the festival has inspired me to move forward with my project, and I'm excited to see where that takes me next."

The event closed with a fashion show produced and creative directed by Sophia Peacock, a Business Management BA Honours student and director of the production company Big Silver Production who she founded with Maisie Wilson. The student-led show was held in Ambika P3 and focused on the theme of Where the Hemlocks Grow. Based on moving towards a sustainable world, Sophia curated a group of designers, hair and make-up experts and photographers from the University of Westminster to put on the show and wow the audience. 

Photo credit: @adi.Xvx

Students also took part in a business challenge run by Service Now who, along with Westminster Council and the Quintin Hogg Trust, sponsored the week’s events.

Deborah Rose said: "As module leader for New Venture Creation, my aim was to help students gain confidence in sharing their ideas, which Engagement Week truly delivered. With support from Dr Irene Brew-Riverson, Supin Hussain and my teaching team Dr Dammy Joseph and Jilly Clark, we prepared students to present poster pitches for early feedback from entrepreneurial experts. Pitching to Levi Roots gave students an invaluable chance to test their ideas with a Dragons’ Den winner. Every student left more confident, realising they could push their limits and enjoy bringing their ideas to life.”

These events directly contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 4: Quality Education and 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.

Learn more about studying at the Westminster Business School.