A TEAM of young business stars from Cann Bridge School in Plymouth have made it through to the final of the nationwide enterprise competition Tycoon in Schools.

The nine aspiring entrepreneurs – who all attend the Miller Way-based specialist provision school for students with learning difficulties and complex additional needs – form the company We Cann Do Gifts. During a seven-week trading period at the end of last year, they sold a range of novelty Christmas jumpers for wine bottles.

In recognition of their success, they have been invited to a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace in March, alongside eight other student-companies hoping to be crowned overall winners.

Cann Bridge teacher Heather Farrow said: “Students worked really well together and began to move naturally towards the jobs that particularly interested them within the business.

"One young lady who had started with stocktaking moved on to demonstrate a real skill as a cashier.

“We had a number of parents who said they could not believe how much they had achieved when they saw students running the shop. Getting through to the final is the icing on the cake. We are thrilled.”

With support from a team of volunteers who helped knit the festive jumpers, We Cann made huge gains and secured an impressive third place in a profit league of close to 200 teams.

All aged from 17-19, the students sold their gifts online and from pop-up stalls in supermarkets, offices and colleges. Following the close of trading, they submitted an evaluation report to an expert judging panel chaired by successful entrepreneur and star of Dragons’ Den Peter Jones CBE.

Mr Jones said: “I’ve been completely blown away by the standard of entries in this year’s competition and deciding who should go through to the final has not been easy. After long deliberation, we’ve chosen these amazing and diverse businesses and I can’t wait to meet them at our awards ceremony.”

“I’d like to say a big well done to We Cann Do Gifts. Their exceptional work is well deserving of a place in the final round of judging.”

Launched by Peter Jones and run by his charity, the Peter Jones Foundation, Tycoon in Schools sees schoolchildren from across the UK developing their own real-life businesses.

After pitching an idea to their teachers, they receive a loan of up to £1,000 from the charity to kick-start their companies.

The other groups that have made it through to the last stage have specialised in a variety of products, including trinkets made from recycled materials, hand-crafted cruiser skateboards and advertising space in a community newsletter.

As well as vying for the coveted top spot – for which the winners will receive £1,000 investment prize money – the Cann Bridge students are in competition with two other teams for first place in the Key Stage 5 category.

Wendy Fisher, a teacher at Cann Bridge School, said: “Our school ethos is about what we can do rather than what we are less able to do. The success we have had is due to the structures in place, the commitment of everyone involved and a fun product that caught people’s imagination.

“During the process, we’ve made local community links – interacting with the public in a positive and dynamic way – and have seen increased pride and self-confidence in our students. We really hope that this is just the beginning of more work based opportunities for our young people.”

Tycoon in Schools is part of the Peter Jones Foundation’s work to put enterprise education at the heart of young people’s learning in the UK.