On Wednesday 28th September, our BTEC Enterprise & Entrepreneur pupils were given a first hand insight into the world of entrepreneurialism by Mr Keith Conway, also a current parent.
Mr Conway engaged the students by discussing his extensive business experience, which all started with the establishment of his own headhunting company (Hemford Brooks). This is now one of the UK’s leading recruitment companies. With an impressive list of clients including ex-US Presidents and A-list celebrities, Mr Conway was able to emphasise to our pupils the importance of offering clients a high quality service and the need to differentiate themselves from competitors. He then discussed his involvement as a Managing Director of Sigma Labs, a B-Corp mission driven company that exclusively offers graduates with social mobility backgrounds software engineering training and other work place skills with the aim of being seconded to tier 1 consultancies and companies on a day rate. This is now a multimillion pound company and provides opportunities for employment and training to those who would otherwise find such routes a challenge to navigate. With a client base including the likes of McKinsey, John Lewis, BCG, Ernst Young and KPMG, and with aims for the valuation of the company to climb beyond £100m in the next few years, this was a great example of an entrepreneur with an understanding of the importance of determination, resolve and total commitment.
Currently, Mr Conway is in negotiations with Google about the possibility of establishing a new venture aimed at offering A Level and BTEC pupils the opportunity to become highly paid apprentices within the company, achieving a degree at the same time as receiving high quality training in software engineering. The combination of working towards a degree, earning money and avoiding student debt is an enticing one and provides a further example of identifying opportunities which can make a difference to people’s lives; which is at the forefront of Mr Conway’s entrepreneurial experiences. Our pupils thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to question Mr Conway on the highs and lows of his career and left enthused about the prospects of establishing their own ventures which they will be working on, as part of their course, in the forthcoming weeks. With further Entrepreneur Breakfast events planned throughout the course, this inaugural event has uncovered what can be achieved with hard work, determination and creative thinking.