INTO THE DRAGONS DEN

Canterbury Christ Church University

Canterbury Christ Church University has been around for over 50 years and based in Kent, plays a huge role in making a positive difference to peoples lives.

Katie our founder was fortunate enough to be invited along to the Occupational Therapy (BSc) Hons final year group assessment day for their Innovation and Entrepreneurship module. The module aims to utilise the group’s knowledge of occupation to investigate and respond to emerging opportunities for service development and entrepreneurial practice. The course enabled students to develop abilities in collaboration, negotiation, planning and presentation within deadlines. Katie said, “What I liked so much about this module in particular is that it has really encouraged students to think outside the box. It is encouraging them to take their learning’s and apply them in a way that they perhaps would not have considered previously”.

Sat on the ‘Dragons Den panel’, Katie was seated between the Universities Student Enterprise Manager, helping students with career development and also the business manager who leads several business modules at the University.  

Canterbury Christ Church University Occupational Therapy BSc (Hons)
students presenting for the Innovation and Enterprise module

Katie said, “We were all overwhelmed by the extremely high standard amongst the four groups of eight we assessed. There was a real buzz in the room as each group stepped up to give their presentation. The attention to detail was fantastic and it was evident that these students had put much thought and effort into the module, which they all clearly enjoyed. Some groups had even gone to the effort of creating prototypes and websites to support their ideas. This was all within the six weeks timeframe they were given! They all generated business plans to support gaps in the market they had identified, encouraging them to take ideas to the next level considering how to make them a feasible business”.

So much consideration had gone in, the groups has no issues with answering questions that the panel through at them after their presentations as they’d all clearly done their homework!

Katie concluded, “It is so great to see young talent being encouraged to think entrepreneurially. There were so many fantastic ideas in the room and bringing groups together to encourage group working and also start considering how to make feasible businesses from the ideas was wonderful to see and be involved with”.

The students will find out how they did in a few months time and Katie looks forward to sitting on the next panel in May.

If you would like to find out more about Canterbury Christ Church University and the Occupational Therapy course, you can do so by clicking on the links below:

Canterbury Christ Church University
Canterbury Christ Church University – Occupational Therapy BSc (Hons) course