On 24 November ten A2 business studies students travelled to St Mary’s Football Stadium in Southampton, to take part in the regional heat of the BASE competition, run by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).

The teams had to work through an extensive case study based around a shoe company, conduct a SWOT analysis and assess a strategy to help the business in the future including evaluating the threat of a cyber-attack.

There were 18 teams competing; they were judged throughout the competition on their teamwork, the recommendations they made and their final four minute presentations. The two teams did very well, they were judged to be in the top four teams and the judges were exceptionally complimentary about their performances, talking about the fine margins that separated the final teams. There was also the opportunity to attend a careers event provided by the sponsoring firms and to network with future employers.

Congratulations to Raihaan Afzal, Spencer Dougall, Tom Farrow-Smith, Alanah Kendall, Austin Morgan, Jake Parson, Andrew Peet, Tobias Smith, Danielle Walbrook and Miles Weston for representing the College in such a positive way.

Alan Bentham, Curriculum Manager for Business Studies commented, “the participation of the students enabled them to develop fantastic employability skills, creativity, team working, communication and presentation skills.”

The students found the day hugely enjoyable. “BASE was a lot of fun, it was a shame we didn’t win but it gave us the opportunity to use and develop the skills and knowledge we have learnt in class” commented Tobias Smith while Austin Morgan said “It was a very rewarding experience. Taking part in the competition has increased my employability and allowed me to network with potential future employees.”

Find out more about studying business here.