27 March 2007

Enterprise Gym Awards

Photo opportunity - 7.15 pm, Thursday March 29th,
West Park Conference Centre, Dundee.

A pioneering scheme at the University of Dundee which has enabled hundreds of students to flex their entrepreneurial muscles marks the end of its second year with an awards ceremony and dinner on Thursday March 29th.

University Principal Sir Alan Langlands and Councillor Joe Morrow, Dundee City Council Convener of Economic Development, will be among those presenting the awards at the second annual Enterprise Gym award ceremony and dinner, taking place at the West Park Conference Centre in Dundee.

The E-Gym was launched by the University’s Centre for Enterprise Management in 2005 and has proved a continuing hit both with students and local businesses.

The E-Gym aims to improve the employability and professionalism of students by promoting an awareness of business enterprise and helping them to build their entrepreneurial skills. Some of Scotland’s leading business figures have joined the scheme as `supercoaches’ for the students.

Over 700 students have now signed up to the E-Gym and local businesses including James Keiller Estates, Texol, Insights, Ross & Bonnyman, Alliance Trust, MDM Creative Services and the Royal Bank of Scotland have shown strong support for the project.

Local business support agencies including Business Gateway and the Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust have also given their assistance to the project.

"We had a very strong first year and are delighted that the second year has seen even greater growth and interest from the students," said Ken Edward, of the Centre for Enterprise Management.

"The E-Gym aims to develop students’ commercial awareness and help them get `business ready’. The support from local business has been fantastic - not only helping us with funding but providing the time of staff to help `coach’ the students in key business skills. The E-Gym itself is now promoted widely by the Scottish Institute for Enterprise as "good practice" in other educational institutions."

"This is a project which has real benefits for the University, students and business."

For media enquiries contact:

Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk