Enterprise impact report 2024 – 2025
The Youth Entrepreneurship Strategy at Grŵp Llandrillo Menai supports the key priorities identified by the Welsh Government — enabling entrepreneurship, engaging, empowering, and equipping learners to reach their full potential through enterprise, and accelerating student entrepreneurship.
The Grŵp receives much-valued financial support from the Welsh Government to assist with this work and is pleased to share the following highlights and outcomes from Karen in the Rhos, Rhyl, Abergele, Denbigh & Community and Shoned in the Bangor, Dolgellau & Meirion-Dwyfor area.
Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Education Highlights
September 2024 – August 2025
- The Enterprise Officers support enterprise and entrepreneurship activities across the Grŵp, working to inspire, equip and empower learners to explore self-employment and freelancing.
- A range of enterprise challenges, talks and interactive workshops have been delivered across campuses, engaging students in creative problem solving, teamwork and idea generation by both the EOs and Role Models from Big Ideas Wales.
- Strong links have been developed with Big Ideas Wales, with Enterprise Officers connecting learners with local role models and entrepreneurial opportunities.
- Learners have benefited from guest speakers, business start-up sessions, and Skills Wales competition opportunities to develop their enterprise confidence.
- Collaboration with curriculum teams has supported embedding entrepreneurship into subject areas, aligning with the Welsh Government’s Youth Entrepreneurship Strategy.
Grŵp Llandrillo Menai continues to champion entrepreneurship across all campuses, including through the CAMVA online sign-ups, where learners and staff can easily access enterprise information and have their queries signposted to relevant support.
CAMVA is the Grŵp’s Vocational Agency and the Employment & Enterprise Bureau sits within that.
Enterprising Learners
- 4313 learners took part in ‘Engage’ enterprise activities.
- 137 learners took part in ‘Empower’ enterprise activities designed to develop entrepreneurial skills, knowledge, mindset and capability.
- 21 Learners accessed tailored enterprise support and one-to-one guidance to explore self-employment and micro-business start-up opportunities.
- 6 Launched a business and we continue to support them in their growth.
Accelerating Student Entrepreneurship
- Learners accessed one-to-one or small group mentoring to explore business ideas.
- Learners took positive steps towards self-employment, including attending business workshops, test trading or registering as sole traders.
- Collaboration with external partners and local business networks continues to provide real-world inspiration and support pathways for aspiring entrepreneurs.
This hands-on approach empowers students to grow their entrepreneurial spirit, develop robust business plans, and ultimately launch their own businesses, contributing to both their own success and the broader economy. Looking ahead, we are really excited to help even more students turn their ideas into a thriving business, working with our external partners to give our students every possible opportunity to becoming successful business owners.
Below: The Grŵp’s 2 ‘Entrepreneurs of the Year’ internal competition winners were selected for their outstanding commitment to starting up their businesses; Blacksmithing and IT systems.
Below: Big Ideas Wales role models workshops; networking, finance, marketing, SEO, business plans, social media, confidence, resilience, research and more.
Enabling Entrepreneurship
- Grŵp Llandrillo Menai continues to champion entrepreneurship across all campuses, working closely with Welsh Government, Big Ideas Wales, local businesses and councils, and local enterprise partners to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
- Ongoing engagement with staff, learners, and local businesses ensures entrepreneurship remains at the heart of employability and lifelong learning across all GLLM campuses.
- As a dedicated and specialised Enterprise team within the college, our core mission is to foster entrepreneurship for all learners. We offer that vital launchpad for our student entrepreneurs providing them with essential guidance and resources to transform their ideas into viable businesses…and beyond.
Meet the team:
Shoned Owen
Shoned runs an award-winning business and is also a recognised Role Model for Big Ideas Wales, inspiring young people and learners to explore entrepreneurship. Alongside her Enterprise Officer role, she delivers social media and brand development workshops, arranges community events that bring people and local businesses together, and shares insights through lifestyle blogging that promotes wellbeing, creativity, and enterprise.
Karen Aerts
Karen runs a successful business in the local area and has years of self-employment experience in a range of businesses, garden design & landscaping, financial services, childcare, counselling & hypnotherapy. Previously Karen has won awards for her community and charity work over 35 years. Currently she runs a variety of workshops in all areas of employment and entrepreneurship and co-ordinates enterprise competitions in the college.