Dorchester school in Passport to Export success

4 December 2008

Students from the Thomas Hardye School in Dorchester have been given a unique opportunity to demonstrate their learning and business skills in French during this academic year. Passport to Export is an International Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Competition sponsored by the UK Trade and Investment South West Region in which pupils from 3 schools have been given the chance to manufacture and market a product or service abroad.

Students from Thomas Hardye School participating in the
Passport to Export competition

Hayle Community College in Cornwall linked with Madrid, Devonport High for Girls in Plymouth linked with Berlin and Thomas Hardye School has set up a link with Paris. The six groups of three Dorchester students who have already gained their GCSE in French have given a sales pitch in a video conference in the foreign language to UK Trade and Investment officers at the British Embassy in Paris, who judged them on their efforts.

Products and services dreamt up by the fifteen and sixteen year olds included an aid to language learning, a beach safe to prevent theft, a website promoting e-cards and an ergonomically designed bag for music players. Another competition was held to devise a logo for a t-shirt to be worn by the students when they pitched their presentations at the video-conference and again by the winning team when they enjoy their prize visit to the British Embassy in Paris in the Spring; Ursula Oliver designed the winning logo and will be joining them on the trip.

Students wearing T-shirts with the logo designed by Ursula Oliver

Chris Buckland, Modern Languages Coordinator at the school said that “This competition has given the students a fantastic opportunity to improve their French and use it for a real purpose. All of them have worked extremely hard on this project and I am proud of their achievement.“

The students have benefited from helpful advice given by the Regional Language Network South West, a UKTI Senior International Trade Adviser and mentoring from David Humphreys. The celebration event was held on the first of December in the school theatre.

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