Students on the T Level Management & Administration (Business Support) programme were announced as winners at the LRIE Identity Project and Urban Design Careers event for their innovative entry to rename the London Road Industrial Estate (LRIE) in Newbury to 'Bond Riverside'.
Chief Executive of West Berkshire Council, Nigel Lynn, and Leader of the Council, Cllr Lynne Doherty, announced the winners during the event which had to be moved online due to snow. However, Tom Quinlan and Katharine Makant (pictured) from West Berkshire Council visited the students on Monday, 13 March, to present them with their award.
The LRIE Identity Project was a competition aimed at 16 to 18 year olds in which schools and colleges across West Berkshire were invited to put forward their visions for rebranding the London Road Industrial Estate. The objective was to involve a younger demographic in creating a new identity for the industrial estate and give them real-world project experience.
In total 5 submissions were received from different groups across the district, with the level of quality in the submissions showing a great deal of hard work, research and dedication by all students involved.
In mid-January, a judging panel came together to decide the winning submission. The panel consisted of Cllr Ross Mackinnon, Executive Member for Finance and Economic Development at West Berkshire Council, Wayne Hemingway of Hemingway Design, a property expert from Alder King Property Consultants, and Eric Owens, Interim Executive Director for Place at West Berkshire Council.
The winning students, Molly, Xander, and Toby from Newbury College, have won not only £1,000 cash for the College but also the prize of proudly having their name 'Bond Riverside' as the new name for the industrial estate. They came up with 'Bond Riverside' to celebrate the history of the site and the wider area. With links to world-famous Paddington Bear author, Michael Bond, who was born in Newbury, it gave a glimpse into local history and the global reach of existing and future businesses on the estate.
At the careers event, Wayne Hemingway shared his industry knowledge with an audience of students and teachers. He covered his career path as well as how others could also get into urban planning and design. The talk was well received and garnered many questions from the audience.
Cllr Lynne Doherty, Leader of West Berkshire Council, said: "Congratulations to Molly, Xander, Toby and Denis from Newbury College for coming up with Bond Riverside, a great new name for one of West Berkshire's key employment sites. Their presentation, creativity and team working will set them up perfectly for future careers.
"I would like to thank all those involved for their help with promoting the competition, and to those schools and colleges who took part. The level of engagement we have had from our students has been great to see. The submissions showed promise and a great deal of hard work from the all involved.
"I hope that this can be a gateway into future local projects involving more collaboration between us and our local young people in school or college."
The T Level in Management and Administration is an opportunity for young people to leap ahead of the crowd and develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed to enter a business-focused career. Find out more about T Levels.