A Mobile Business School made a stop-off at Bolton College this week, on a mission to support and inspire the next generation of budding business entrepreneur

The NatWest double-decker bus – stationed at the College’s Deane Road Campus – offered a range of workshops throughout the day, giving practical advice to hundreds of students about how to start their own business. Self employment is now a real and an attractive option for students who have gained vocational skills and knowledge at Level 3.

The NatWest Mobile Business School aims to provide support to anyone with a genuine interest in entrepreneurship, and encourage those who may not have thought about starting their own business, to consider it as a viable career option.

With numerous students climbing on board throughout the day, the bus was staffed by a team from NatWest, who were available to answer questions, discuss individual career plans and provide helpful literature. The bottom deck provided a friendly pop-in service for general start-up queries, while the top deck became the hub for a series of 15 minute interactive workshops.

Marie Gilluley, Principal of Bolton College, said: “The Mobile Business School is a fantastic initiative, which provides an interesting and interactive platform for students to learn more about entrepreneurship. It was great to see the learners receiving practical advice to help them turn their ambitions into reality.”

The workshops covered a range of subjects relevant in today’s economic climate, including how to fund a start-up business and the importance of trademarks and patents, as well as money management and marketing. Students were also invited to discuss their own business ideas, with advice given on successfully making the journey from initial concept, through to launch and evaluation.

'Michael O'Malley, director business banking for NatWest Bolton, Wigan, Sale and Urmston, said: "As a Bank we were delighted to be able to bring the Mobile Business School to Bolton College. This resource provides a unique way of taking the support, advice and expertise  that we can provide for our future entrepreneurs into a familiar environment and we were delighted to receive very positive feedback for this new initiative. We are committed to delivering a first class level of enterprise education locally and will continue to work with the College and other key strategic partners."