Go-getter in award glee

NORTH Chadderton school student Nicola Webb

NORTH Chadderton School pupil Nicola Webb has triumphed over more than 2,400 young people to win a regional entrepreneurial award.

The 17-year-old won the Journey Award at the Young Enterprise (YE) North West final in Salford - securing a work placement with accountancy company KPMG in the process.

The annual YE company programme challenges teams of 15-to-19-year-olds to set up their own businesses with support from an expert adviser.

Nicola is managing director of North Chadderton's company Glassique, which sells glass and can covers to prevent drinks from being spiked.

It won the best company title at the Oldham YE final, and represented the borough at the Greater Manchester final which was won by Altrincham Boys Grammar School.

The journey award recognises the student who has developed the most during the programme and James Mannix, assistant head of sixth form at North Chadderton said: "Nicola won the award for her outstanding progress throughout the year, developing her leadership, communication and teamwork skills, along with enabling her to develop a clearer vision of her career path.

"To put her achievements into context, over 2,400 students from over 200 schools and colleges across the North West were eligible for the regional Journey Award."

Nicola is now one of four Journey Award winners shortlisted for the UK YE final in London on July 7. The national winner will also do a work placement with a top company.

She said: "I have developed my organisational and motivational skills, learning how a business works and realising that resilience is key in any business venture.

"YE has also helped me do things which I normally wouldn't such as public speaking. It has been an excellent learning experience and I feel that I have gained skills that will be beneficial in the future."