Justin Tomlinson MP joined New College students as they took part in a special enterprise event run by Working Knowledge.
Working Knowledge is a social enterprise who are dedicated to creating chances for young people and opening the door to employment.
National companies including Salesforce, Lloyds Bank and Capita sent representatives to the event to help mentor the students as they broke off into groups to come up with a new business idea. Students were also assisted by Swindon based companies including Frankly Recruitment, who work with local businesses to help assist job seekers into work.
Justin took part in the discussions with a group of students who were proposing to install wifi into cars. The groups were tasked with creating a business plan, working out all of their costs and then presenting the idea at the end of the day to the business representatives.
Justin Tomlinson MP said: "I really enjoyed popping along to New College's enterprise day. When I owned my own business, I looked to employ enthusiastic youngsters who were full of fresh ideas and who were willing to go the extra mile. The students who were participating in the enterprise day had tonnes of enthusiasm and came up with some really innovative ideas. They certainly have bright futures ahead of them. Here in Swindon we have seen more than 5,300 new businesses created since 2010, which have helped to create more jobs. As a result the number of young people unemployed in our town has fallen by a staggering 63.6%. It was really great to see that New College and local business representatives are injecting entrepreneurism into the next generation here in Swindon."
