Creative Hermitage Academy students learned all about entrepreneurship and raised hundreds of pounds as they took part in a fun and successful initiative.
West College Scotland’s ‘Minds of Young Artists’ (MOYA) team collaborated with sixth-year students pursuing an NC in Creative Industries at the school.
Led by lecturer Debbie Dennett, students learned about entrepreneurship, brainstormed ideas, and pooled their creative talents to create products they could sell.
One student said: "The collaboration with MOYA taught me so much about entrepreneurship and working alongside other creatives.
“It gave me a peek into working in the creative industries and adapting ideas into one group response.
“At first, I was dead set on studying fine art at university, but after the collaboration with MOYA I realised my passion and interest in designing and I'm off to study a general foundation course.”
Another student added: "I really enjoyed participating in the MOYA course this year. It allowed me to build on my confidence and business skills.
“I would definitely recommend this course to younger pupils that are going into 6th year.”
Pupils formed the group 'Hermitage Art Collective (by MOYA)' and created postcards from four students designs.
Rasing nearly £400 as they sold almost 200 sets at £2 each, the profit was put towards their end of year celebrations.
Staff at Hermitage Academy were pleased with the success of the creative industries course.
Teacher Rachel Paterson emphasised the invaluable experiences gained by students through the MOYA initiative.
Rachel said: “West planned and adapted course material to meet the needs of all our students, offering and practical hands-on sessions and support where needed in creative projects, working for yourself and how to use social media for business.
“Our students were equipped to plan, organise, and action their creative ideas, seeing them make a profit from their postcard business and realise logo designs across multiple platforms, from stickers to hoodies.”
Teacher Joyce Ryan continued: "Their involvement and experience of creative industries has had a big impact on their success.
“It has really broadened their art experiences."
Lecturer Debbie Dennett expressed her delight in witnessing the students' growth throughout the program.
Debbie said: "The MOYA program aims to develop confidence in networking and entrepreneurial skills for students.
"Witnessing their journey through decisions on content, style, target market, and price point was, for me, the standout part of the process.
“The success of the Hermitage Art Collective not only showcased the students' artistic talents but also underscored the potential for creative thinking across various career paths.
“I hope that these students can take away that their creative skills don’t necessarily have to be linked to the more traditional skills of art and design, that there is potential to harness creative thinking and talents on many different career paths."
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