The Aston Apprentice Challenge

The Apprentice Challenge, organised by the Aston Entrepreneurs society put it all to the test last week when 13 teams competed to become the Aston Apprentice. And although the event ultimately suffered from very poor management and control, it showed great promise for future development.

The Challenge started on Wednesday when the first task was given at 8 AM in the guild. And the assignment - selling paintball tickets. Of course, there was a catch, the tickets could only be sold in groups of ten at a price equal to (or higher than) £5. With this offer circulating the Aston campus incessantly, me and my team found it incredibly difficult to find people who are not only interested but have not already got tickets to go paintballing. Nevertheless, after knocking on every door on campus (and I am talking room door, not flat door) my team managed to sell 30 tickets (or 3 packs).

The second challenge was greatly superior; with a budget of £15, the teams were given the task of purchasing 11 hard to get items, at the lowest possible price. This task put not only our negotiation skills on the table but also our feet when my team scanned every shop in Birmingham to find the cheapest bread, chicken feet and marshmallows. We had the amazing opportunity to walk into a mattress factory in search of foam and the university marketing department in search of an Aston University bracelet. By the end of the day we had all 11 items, including some great photos capturing the experience.

The last and probably most intricate task was branding our own beer. Luckily, I have had to do so much research on sales figures that finding out what is the most prospering beer (thus, the one to pick) was easy. Then we examined the psychology of the consumer as to how a beer should be named, what colour the label should be, etc. This is where having a good team comes in handy; with each one of us browsing away on our computers we got the work done in just about two hours. Finally, we made a sample bottle to present to the judges that definitely proved to be the funnest part of the challenge (especially, considering the rush one gets from sneaking in two bottles of beer in the main building).

So, just like that the Apprentice Challenge was over and done with. Congratulations to the winners! I am keen to see how the event develops next year. (areas to work on: clear guidelines, cheating control and marking scheme)