27/11/2008

The winner of the first series of TV show The Apprentice passed on business tips to young entrepreneurs from all over south Wales at a conference hosted by Newport Business School.

Tim Campbell certainly made a big impression on a group of prospective entrepreneurs from St Julian's School who have plans for their own Asian clothing business.

"Tim was brilliant," said 17-year-old A Level student Noreen Hussain.

"We learned more from his lecture than we ever do at school because he's been out there in the real world doing the business. Tim said anything is possible if you work hard enough
and we know we can do it - he's really motivated us to strive to do something in life."

Noreen and her friends, Nagina Bibi, Rukeya Deen, and Samrah Taherra, have always dreamt of having their own business.

"We've discussed being partners in a business that focuses on Asian clothing. It's a big market and we'd like to make it a complete experience that not only sells clothes and jewellery at reasonable prices but also has a beauty parlour too.

"We're all interested in coming to Newport's University to study business as a way of making our dream come true," added Noreen.

Fellow St Julian's sixth-formers Cerys Stagg and Becky Flage also found Tim's talk inspirational. "We're very interested in coming to study at Newport Business School, especially as it will be moving to the new City Centre Campus which looks very
exciting," said 16-year-old Cerys.

Robyn Reardon, from Tredegar, who is studying business and management at Coleg Gwent's Ebbw Vale Campus is eager to become her own boss but is concerned about the present economic climate.

"The credit crunch is making it hard to set up a new business. There's lots of competition out there but it's something I really want to do. It was great to come here to the University today and listen to Tim who was very inspirational and has made me even more determined to succeed."

The conference was organised by Newport Business School, which will be moving to the University's new 35m City Centre Campus when it is completed in 2010.

The campus, the first phase of an intended two-phase 50m development for the University of Wales, Newport, will be a hothouse of creative and entrepreneurial activity that will add activity and vibrancy to the city centre while giving a vital boost to the local economy.

For information about all business, management and accountancy courses at the University of Wales, Newport contact the University Information Centre on 01633 432432 or visit www.newport.ac.uk.