Agriculture graduates vie for £50,000 start-up investment
Agriculture graduates and student entrepreneurs across Britain are being given the chance to compete for regional and nationwide recognition, cash and mentoring prizes as Lloyds extends its Commercial Enterprise Awards beyond their inaugural year.
The awards scheme is part of supporting start ups and growth firms and includes agricultural and rural businesses.
The overall winner of the Awards will receive £50,000 to invest in their business, together with a comprehensive two-year mentoring programme, involving senior executives from Lloyds Banking Group, designed to provide coaching and support on critical business issues such as planning, finance, recruitment and marketing.
Entrepreneurs who have founded or co-founded their own business and who are currently studying at universities across England, Scotland or Wales – or who graduated within the past five years and have been trading for more than 1 year – will be able to enter the awards.
All entrants will be considered for two titles – Best Start Up, which will be awarded to a business in its early stages; and Best Enterprise which will be awarded to the business judged to show real potential to grow over the next five years to become a recognised small and medium sized enterprise (SME) within its sector.
The search for the Lloyds Enterprise Awards winners will begin with initial heats across six regions in England, as well as national heats in Scotland and Wales. The best two from each heat will then compete for the Best Start Up and Best Enterprise awards at a grand final.
Commenting on the Lloyds TSB Enterprise Awards, Alick Jones, Agriculture Policy Director, Lloyds TSB Agriculture, said: “British farming has a proud history of enterprise and for generations our agricultural colleges and universities have played a fundamental role in nurturing business talent. Lloyds TSB Agriculture wants to ensure that the talent emerging from agricultural and rural courses at colleges and universities does not go unrecognised. As part of Lloyds Banking Group’s commitment to help SMEs grow, we also want to play our part in nurturing and supporting young farming and rural entrepreneurs, to give them the best chance of future growth.”
TV presenter, farmer and Lloyds TSB’s farming ambassador, Adam Henson said: “UK agriculture has a very positive future and now is a really exciting time for young people to be getting into the industry. There will be great opportunities for graduates who are entrepreneurial, innovative, and business minded. This initiative will give emerging farm or rural based enterprises a great start and so I encourage students and graduates to take part.”
