Apprentice Vs Dragons' Den Final 23/24: 1 Week To Go!

Article summary: The countdown is on to the Apprentice Vs Dragons’ Den 2023/24 final!

We’re kicking off National Apprenticeship Week 2024 with our Apprentice Vs Dragons’ Den final taking place on the evening of Monday 5th February.

This annual school engagement initiative aims to raise awareness and promote the value of apprenticeships amongst school children. The teams are presented with the challenge of coming up with a product idea which solves one of modern life’s problems. The teams are responsible for the design, manufacture, marketing and distribution of their product, and must also demonstrate to the Dragons their predicted profits and returns.

The final 5 teams have been selected and are working on their final presentations, ready to pitch to the panel of Dragons, who will test the teams by asking business-focused questions at the end of each presentation. Once all the teams have presented their ideas, the Dragons will decide who will win each of the awards, and which team will take home the grand prize of Overall Winner and £500.

Our panel of Dragons is made up of influential businesspeople from across the south, who are leaders in their respective industries. This year we are pleased to be welcoming:

  • Fiona Stilwell – CEO at PETA
  • Kelly Sunderland – European HR Employment Law and Training Director at PEI Genesis
  • James Sessions – Finance Director at Prysmian
  • Tony Mason – Vice President Finance at PALL Corporation
  • Ian McCrindle – UK Engineering & Operations Training Manager at DP World Southampton

Congratulations to each of the teams, you can read more about each of their project plans below.

 
Apprentice Vs Dragons' Den 2023/24 Finalists:

Safe Wings – Portsmouth Academy
A drone that can be used by marine organisations to quickly identify plastics in the ocean so that those areas can be cleared and cleaned to help our eco system and marine life.

E-Kitchen – Portsmouth Academy
An app that allows you to scan the food items in your fridge into your phones, builds up recipe ideas and alerts you to when food is close to expiration to reduce food wastage.

InTheal – Horndean Technoloy College
A Mental Health app created for GCSE students experiencing high levels of exam and school stress to specifically target common triggers with tailored support, games for relaxation and a confidential service to seek face to face support with teachers.

Neuro – The Academy Selsey
An AI system that will take large bits of text and summarise them, highlighting key points and important information to make it easier with students and adults with neurodivergence to digest information.

Eternal Bus – Castleview Academy
A bus capable of running on renewable energy resources, with tailoring fares to make it more affordable for frequent users and families.