YOUNG entrepreneurs braved the heat of the Dragon’s Den at the end of term during King’s Ely International’s very own version of the popular reality TV programme, where contestants pitch their business proposals to potential investors.
Teams of King’s Ely International students were tasked with developing a new product concept, writing a business plan, constructing a prototype and filming an advertisement for their product. They then pitched their innovative ideas to a panel of judges, who mercilessly grilled each team to test their knowledge in areas such as marketing, research and financial planning.
The winning product was a portable washer-dryer, aimed at helping young boarders with their washing, which was devised by students Run Li, Emily Shu and Christina Dong.
“The project was introduced to give King’s Ely International’s GCSE Business Studies students the opportunity to be creative and apply business theories to practical situations,” said Business Studies teacher, Sarah Burt.
“The students coped extremely well under pressure from the judges. Although they come from a variety of different countries, each with their own unique cultural, economic and political backgrounds, not to mention different languages, the International students are hardworking and ambitious and make the most out of each opportunity to learn something new.”
In addition to the courses available in the main school, King’s Ely International offers overseas students in Years 10 and 11 the opportunity to study intensive GCSE-based courses to prepare them for further study in the UK.