BUSINESS

How ideas, opportunities, and decisions grow into real-world ventures

Business: IgnitED Careers Mentoring Programme

IgnitED’s Business programme takes participants on an expert-led journey into entrepreneurship and commercial strategy. From start-ups to global firms, students explore how businesses are built, how brands are launched and scaled, and how financial strategy drives sustainable success.

Through interactive workshops with founders and business leaders, participants gain first-hand insights from those actively building and leading thriving ventures. They’ll explore diverse roles and real-world scenarios across company strategy, sales, brand management, and financial fluency, while developing entrepreneurial thinking and practising clear, confident communication under pressure.

The week also features workplace visits, offering a behind-the-scenes look at workplace culture, strategic decision-making, and brand building in action. By the end of the programme, participants will: Hone commercial awareness and strategic thinking, build pitch confidence and presentation skills, and gain a deep understanding of how businesses shape the world. The Business programme equips aspiring entrepreneurs and future managers with the skills, networks, and confidence to thrive going into business, finance, and marketing careers.

Participants leave with the knowledge, skills, and commercial understanding most valued by employers, essential for entrepreneurial resilience, and highly regarded in university applications.

Business careers workshop

  • Business Mentoring
    Learn from industry founders in commercial innovation, sales & marketing, and financial strategy.

  • Audit real business performance
    Work alongside a practising accountant to understand SME financials and grasp what drives a healthy business.

  • Engage in interactive business skills workshops
    Explore live brand case studies, creative campaigns, and financial success examples.

  • Experience a taste of University life
    Get a true feel for studying business at university.

  • Learn how to pitch with confidence
    Work directly with entrepreneurs and business leaders who have successfully secured investment and grown their ventures.

  • Explore industry venues
    Take part in sessions held in real-world professional environments.

  • Map out your future pathway
    From university degree routes, into early start-up roles and entrepreneurial mindsets, through to growth and leadership opportunities.

  • Discover your commercial strengths
    Explore the fields of business, finance, sales, marketing, and identify where your interests and talents align.

  • Build friendships and connections
    Meet like-minded peers who share your aspirations for entrepreneurial careers.

  • Evidence of your achievement
    Receive a certificate of completion, along with a personalised reference letter from your Ignit    ED mentor to support future applications.

What You Will Gain This Summer

Register Now

Featured Organisations: Business, Finance, & Marketing

Programme Preview

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  • Career & University Pathways in Business

    IgnitED’s Business Masterclass empowers participants to explore the full spectrum of business-related career and university routes. From Business Management, Economics, Finance, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship, students gain clarity on how each pathway differs in content, assessment style, and long-term career direction.

    Through interactive mapping activities and guided exploration, participants identify their personal strengths and interests across the business landscape. They also take part in a structured workshop on building a competitive university profile, learning how to showcase the skills, experiences, and academic foundations that admissions teams value most.

    The session culminates in a mock interview carousel, giving participants the chance to practise articulating their motivations, ideas, and analytical thinking under realistic interview conditions.

  • AI Innovation in Business

    IgnitED’s “AI Innovation in Business design sprint” challenges participants to explore how artificial intelligence transforms modern enterprises. Working in dynamic small teams, Participants analyse the needs of users and stakeholders, investigating how businesses leverage automation, predictive modelling, and optimisation systems to solve real-world problems.

    Alongside technical exploration, participants consider the ethical and commercial implications of AI decision-making, ensuring their solutions balance innovation with responsibility. Guided by structured canvases, teams develop AI-driven concepts, carefully evaluating feasibility, data requirements, and potential impact in professional settings.

    The sprint culminates in a pitch round, where participants present their proposed solutions to peers and mentors. They receive constructive feedback on the strength of their reasoning, creativity, and business insight, while honing skills in entrepreneurial thinking, communication, and applied AI strategy.

  • Decision-Making in Business

    IgnitED’s Business Decision-Making spotlight session places Participants in the role of business leaders tackling real-world ethical dilemmas. Through rotating scenario stations, students confront challenges such as AI bias, offshore manufacturing, and sustainability claims, analysing each issue from multiple stakeholder perspectives.

    Guided by experienced mentors, participants are introduced to ethical frameworks used by industry decision-makers, learning how consequences, duties, fairness, and reputation influence high-stakes choices.

    Working in teams, they sense-test possible actions, justify decisions, and present recommendations in a boardroom-style setting. This immersive experience develops skills in

    • Ethical reasoning and critical analysis, Stakeholder awareness and corporate responsibility

    • Confident communication and teamwork under pressure

    Participants gain a practical understanding of the complexities of modern business decision-making, equipping them with insights highly valued by employers, essential for entrepreneurial resilience, and respected in university applications.

  • Co‑Lab: Collaborative Learning and Industry Reflection.

    Co‑Lab is a daily feature of the IgnitED programme, bringing participants together for collaborative problem‑solving, structured reflection, and interdisciplinary learning.

    Each day, Participants step into mixed‑discipline teams, to identify global themes, emerging challenges, and explore how different fields of engineering, medicine, business, legal, and artistic creative industries intersect in real professional environments.

    Every Co‑Lab group tackles an interdisciplinary challenge project. These challenges require participants to pool knowledge, negotiate approaches, and deliver joint solutions, mirroring the teamwork and innovation demanded in modern careers.

    This unique combination of guided reflection and cross‑industry collaboration helps IgnitED participants:

    • Make sense of their daily learning experiences

    • Understand the wider context of their chosen career pathway

    • Build communication, problem‑solving, and teamwork skills valued across all industries

    Co‑Lab ensures that every participant leaves not only with industry insights but also with the transferable skills and collaborative mindset that employers and universities look for.

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Business, Finance, and Marketing Programme Mentor

Robert is an educator and finance professional with a diverse international background, holding a PGCE and MSc in Management and Finance.

 

At Deloitte and KPMG China, Robert worked in Financial Advisory Services on M&A projects for multinational clients. Alongside this, Robert also brings experience from time spent supporting global firms through the Shanghai British Chamber of Commerce.

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"In the world of business, the people who are most successful are those who are doing what they love."

— Warren Buffett

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