Students learn to bring ideas to life

Would you be interested in a watch which reminds you to put on sunscreen or a vacuum-sealed pack for camping?

These are a few of the ideas which have been developed by Wairarapa students as part of a three day Lands Trust Masterton Business Experience workshop this week.

About 30 students from different schools were split up into five groups to develop an idea at Solway College.

The workshop, which has been running since 2006, is organised by the trust, Wairarapa REAP and the Workforce Development Trust.

REAP education manager Wendel Richardson said the groups have been great in creating and developing their ideas which include a battery powered vacuum cleaner to a watch which reminds people to apply sunscreen.

She said the workshop was about giving the students an opportunity to come up with an idea and develop a business plan including choosing a CEO, coming up with an advertising strategy and working out the finances of the project.

"In all reality, they're probably ideas where some of them could go further," she said.

Chanel College Year 13 students Alex Simpson and Mitchell Timms were part of the company Maahk who created a vacuum-sealed pack for camping.

"I hate transporting pillows while camping so I started to think 'what could I do to compress them," said Mitchell.

Alex said it was great to be part of a team and experience business in the real world.

"It's pretty cool getting to design a product and working together," she said.

The ideas were judged by local business people yesterday.