Posted: Tuesday 1 November 2011

Former Kilmarnock College students mentored to boost local economy

Three former Kilmarnock College students have received mentoring from an Ayrshire business to help boost entrepreneurship in the area.

Kilmarnock College invited students interested in self-employment, to submit business ideas in a bid to add value to their College experience and provide additional support to those thinking of setting up their own business.

From the large number of responses chosen, five were selected to meet with Bernadette McGuire, Director of Learning and Teaching to discuss their business plans.
The students were appointed a mentor, Karen Herbert, from Real Work Skills, and were involved in a preparatory one week programme, in which the students gave up their time to come into College during the Easter holidays to take part.

After evaluating the programme, three students were chosen to receive the support needed to pitch their ideas to the relevant industries.

Colin Cuthbert (26) and Danny Shergill (23) now qualified fitness instructors working for Worth Fit - which offers an alternative to gastric surgery for patients with obesity - presented their proposal to NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

The duo's research demonstrated that 66 per cent of men and 57 per cent of women in Scotland are classed as overweight and in several years this will become the number one health problem in Scotland.

The pair's concept is to create a fitness environment in patient's homes who have been referred by their GP. They will provide weekly fitness and lifestyle coaching sessions to act as a real alternative to gastric surgery.

Colin Cuthbert, said: "We are keen to work closely with NHS Ayrshire and Arran to develop a six-month pilot programme to show that our methods can reduce the BMI of those considered to be obese or morbidly obese as well as helping them to develop healthier eating habits.

"We are keen to educate clients rather than train them to ensure that they adopt these methods for a healthier lifestyle. We have also ensured that clients will have access to the Centre of Sporting Excellence (CoSE) gym, based at Kilmarnock College's Townholm Campus, so that they can top up their weekly sessions as their fitness improves.

"We are so grateful to Kilmarnock College for the training we received but also to the Principal, Heather Dunk, who gave us the opportunity to speak to NHS Ayrshire and Arran to present our ideas. If it wasn't for Heather and for the support of our mentor at Real Work Skills (RWS), Karen Herbert, we wouldn't have made it this far.

"We really believe in this project and are keen to start the six month pilot."

The third student chosen was Steven Torbet (33) who studied HND Computing at Kilmarnock College. He has set up a business called Tefnut Ltd, based at the Aspire Business Centre in Irvine. Tefnut - www.tefnut.co.uk - is a limited company which uses Microsoft partners suppling Office365 productivity suite and Windows Intune® security, helping businesses migrate to cloud computing.
Steven said: "It was a great experience having Karen as a mentor. She gave me some excellent advice and I am hoping that my business will now grow from strength to strength."

Karen Herbert, from Real Work Skills, said: "All three of these students have worked extremely hard to get their businesses up and running."

"They did all of this in addition to completing their course work at the College, which shows real dedication, and I am sure they are looking at a successful future in business."

Wai-Yin Hatton, Chief Executive of NHS Ayrshire and Arran, said: "My team and I were very impressed by Colin and Danny's enthusiasm and professionalism.
"They have a very unique concept and service, and we wish them every success in their venture."
For further information on courses available at Kilmarnock College please call 01563 523501 or visit www.kilmarnock.ac.uk.

-Ends-
For more information, contact:
Joanna Wilson, Beattie Communications, 01698 787847/ joanna.wilson@beattiegroup.com
Sarah Ballantyne, Beattie Communications, 01698 787859/ sarah.ballantyne@beattiegroup.com

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