Our entrepreneurial competition is designed to introduce young people to the world of business and a possible career path they may not have considered.

It is open to all S3 pupils who are supported to develop business plans which are scored by Business Gateway Advisors. The six top scoring entries are then invited to pitch their ideas to a panel of industry expert ‘dragons’.

This year’s winning entry, Project Chef, was developed by Zac Murray from Cardinal Newman High School in Bellshill. His robot takes the ingredients you have at home to create a meal. Once the recipe has been selected, the device activates its projector to show the recipe on the kitchen walls.

The device only turns off when told to, saving the customer from using non-renewable recipes or searching on a phone which can turn off. It also helps reduce food waste by using in ingredients the customer already has.

Zac received a £100 Amazon voucher and a trophy for the school for his innovative business idea.

Councillor Alex McVey, Convener of Enterprise and Fair Work Committee, attended the event and said: “I was incredibly impressed by the young people who all presented their business ideas so professionally, as well as the effort and ingenuity they put into their business plans. It is proof that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in North Lanarkshire.

“I would also like to thank the local businesses – UKSE, BDD Pharma, Indeglas, and Livn Manufacturing – that gave up their time to support and sponsor Dragons Lair.”

The dragons are all local business owners who bring a great deal of business knowledge and experience: Carol Thomson, CEO of BDD Pharma; Scott Webb, Regional Manager of UKSE; Jeanette McIntyre, MD of Indeglas; and Stephen Connachan, MD of Livn Manufacturing.

Scott Webb of UKSE, the principal sponsors of Dragons Lair, said: “Congratulations to Zac on his business idea which impressed the Dragons with its creativity, commercial appeal and practical application.

“I have been involved with this fantastic initiative for some years and never failed to be impressed by the standard of entries, as well as the professionalism and enthusiasm the pupils put into their pitches. It gets harder each year to select a winner.”

This year, 23 business plans were submitted. Runners-up were Kaelah Elliott, Gurleen Kaur and Sam Smith from Cumbernauld Academy. Their idea was ‘Spotlight’, an app that connects music fans with their favourite artists, purchase tickets and connect with other fans, while also enabling upcoming artists to promote music and events.

The other finalists were:

• Bellshill Academy: Oliver Anderson and Ross Steven with their football-based app ‘Grassroots Goals’.
• Calderhead High School: Krista Marsili, Baillie Mollins and Jessica McCulloch with their app ‘Your Path’ for teens-young adults to help them choose the path that is right for them. ,
• Coltness High School: Suzie Burnside, Madison Lawrie and Jenna Simpson with their ‘Diary of A Mum’ app to help new mums.
• Taylor High School: Ziya Idrees, Niamh McAlpine and Kajla Wysocka with their School Buddy app to make learning fun through gamification.