Enterprising Students
By Amanda Eleftheriades
Two schools from West Dunbartonshire made it to the regional finals of the 2026 Young Enterprise awards.
Pupils from Dumbarton Academy and St Peter the Apostle High School took to the stage in Clydebank Town Hall to share their entrepreneurial experiences and products.
This was the final local stage of the programme which saw 1,200 students from across Scotland set up 130 companies from scratch and gain SCQF qualifications in the process.
At the start of their journey the students had to generate a business idea, then identify board positions which played to the strengths of each team member. They were responsible for creating a business plan, organising a launch event, raising funds and running their business.
They also had the opportunity to sell their products at a special Trade Fair in Braehead shopping centre.
The final presentation stage in Clydebank Town Hall was in front of a panel of four judges from the business world and invited guests.
Speaking to the Clydesider before their presentation the Dumbarton Academy team D & A explained the idea behind their product - a mindfulness colouring book for young adults.
D & A director, Sam, said: “We started to come up with things we enjoy doing and from that we had five ideas. We put it to a vote to decide which one we all wanted to work on.
“As young adults we all enjoy colouring after we’ve had a long day, it helps you relax.”
After contacting local suppliers they were delighted to get a good discount on print costs.
Designer Arren created the artwork for the colouring book and also designed the team’s logo.
Each team member invested £5 to get the business off the ground and did a bake sale to help raise funds for their product.
With money in the bank, they ordered the colouring books and launched it at their school Careers Fayre.
Sales resulted in a net profit of £114.07 for D&A.
The financial gain was an added bonus as the experience, employability and teamwork skills gained during the programme will stay with the young people for years to come.
And at the Awards Night the judges selected D&A for the Most Inspirational Journey Award.
Clydebank students from St Peter the Apostle also took home a trophy winning the Teamwork Award for their Sip n Co business.
Their products were personalised sustainable coffee cups and lanyards which they worked together to make from scratch.
They told the audience:
Our focus was on items that were authentic, sustainable and personalised.
Using a Cricut machine they designed each product to order and made a profit of £503.
The two local teams were up against eight schools from East Dunbartonshire.
And the title of Dunbartonshire Young Enterprise Team 2026 went to a talented group of students from Bishopbriggs Academy for their ‘One Wee World: Aon Saoghal Beag’ children’s storybook.
Written in English and Gaelic with artwork by team members the book explored and celebrated diverse cultures, languages and stories from around the world.