Tag: HYBMA

ENTRY DEADLINES EXTENDED

Post author By Liane Morris
Post date August 27, 2024

It’s official. We said we wouldn’t extend our deadlines this year, but we know that quite a number of the schools that normally participate in the Young Business Mind Awards are having issues with the September date and we really don’t want anyone to miss out!

The new date for entries is Friday October 25.

BUT …

Enter early by October 14 & WIN!

If you want to be in the running to win one of 20 free passes to this year’s Hunter Innovation Festival you need to get your entries in by Monday October 14 and be prepared to attend the festival on Thursday October 17. These passes are valued at $250 each. If you win and can’t attend, please let us know so that we can share the opportunity with someone else.

The awards night will be held on Tuesday November 12 at the I2N – University of Newcastle Q Building on Honeysuckle with Ryan Muir, entrepreneur and CEO of RAM Manufacturing as MC & Guest Speaker. Ryan is a member of the manufacturing committee of Hunter IF, the organisation behind the Hunter Innovation Festival, and is a passionate supporter of youth innovation programs such as YBMA.

We can tell you that we have already surpassed last year’s number of entries so this year should be an absolute cracker!

We’re excited to see what you’ve got for us.

Tags Entrepreneurs, Hunter young Business mind awards, HYBMA, Innovators, Young Entrepreneurs

YBMA 2024

Ryan Muir – Speaker & MC at YBMA Gala Awards Night

Post author By Liane Morris
Post date August 6, 2024

The Young Business Mind Awards culminates in a Gala Awards night on the 12th of November and will feature a speaker who has a deep understanding of youth entrepreneurship and innovation. This year, the speaker and MC of the event will be Ryan Muir, CEO of RAM Manufacturing.

Ryan grew up in Sydney and Port Macquarie completing his apprenticeship in the flooring industry before settling in Newcastle to begin his academic career. As an early leaver of high school Ryan started at the University of Newcastle completing an open foundation degree before moving on to study a Bachelors in Business.

Since 2021, Ryan has passionately dedicated himself to addressing critical issues within the flooring industry and tackling Australia’s waste plastics problem through the commercialization of Echidna Strip, a durable and sustainable alternative for carpet installation that transforms plastic waste into valuable construction materials.

Ryan’s commitment to confronting national challenges is matched by his deep appreciation for the Hunter region’s rich industrial legacy. Empowering the next generation with a can-do attitude while fostering a strong connection to country is vital to ensuring prosperity for the many generations to come.

With fresh memory of the challenges neurodiverse students face within the classroom, supporting the YBMA is a way for Ryan to channel his experience as a high school dropout turned qualified tradesman, turned entrepreneur into a program that shines light on students’ broader problem-solving abilities. His involvement in YBMA reflects his dedication to creating opportunities for young minds to excel beyond the traditional classroom setting.

Ryan is a member of the manufacturing committee of Hunter IF, the organisation behind the Hunter Innovation Festival, and is a passionate supporter of youth innovation programs such as YBMA.

Tags Entrepreneurship, Hunter Innovation Festival, HYBMA, Innovation, YBMA, Youth

HYBMA 2024 Uncategorized

How it works…

Post author By Liane Morris
Post date May 28, 2024

Are you looking to inspire your students with an exciting project that sets them up for success? One that can lead to business and industry mentorship and that recognises and rewards efforts to make our world a better place?

The Young Business Mind Awards is open again this year and has partnered with the Hunter Innovation Festival to create opportunity and resources that encourage our young people to look to the future with positivity, to foster a sense of entrepreneurship and an awareness of the skills necessary for success in the world.

The YBMA has been providing a showcase opportunity for children and young people under the age of 25 to develop entrepreneurial projects since 2017. Young people are encouraged to enter a business idea, design a new product or showcase a creative project for a chance to win cash prizes, school recognition, industry mentorship and participation in this year’s Hunter Innovation Festival.

Primary students are encouraged to take on a class project exploring ideas around Sustainability.

Secondary students and under 25s can work as individuals or in groups across the categories of Sustainability, Social or Business Enterprise, Creative Industries or Design and Technology. It’s about taking a step closer to a future where their ideas can make a difference.

HOW IT WORKS

Step 1: Decide that you’re going to pursue this as a great project for your students (or yourself – there are teacher awards too) and register here. If you register before 31 May, you could win one of 10 $30 cash gift cards. Registration is only so that we have an idea of who is working towards their entry and how many participants we are likely to have and is not a barrier to entry.

Step 2: Familiarise yourself with the resources available online here. And the entry requirements (Secondary; Primary; Teacher).

Step 3: Talk to your students about the awards and start researching your big ideas, determining what category each student/group is entering as you go (Sustainability for Primary students; Sustainability, Business, Social Enterprise, Creative Industries, Design & Technology for Secondary students).

Hints: The awards are called the Young Business Mind Awards – the idea is to showcase an innovative new idea/business/product within your chosen category. Many existing school projects will fit the bill without much extra work entailed. How can you take your idea and create a business or product from it? What problems can you solve? Use the resources available online.

INVITATION – this is the point at which we invite you to reach out and request a visit from one of our team. We are happy to come along and present to your students for 30 minutes or so, explaining the awards and inspiring big ideas. Please reply to this email before June 7 if this is something you would like to take advantage of – we are offering this to 15 schools only.

Step 4: Award applicants should prepare a simple pitch deck explaining their project and produce a short 2 minute video to submit by Sept 3. The resource page on our website contains a pitch deck template, an idea builder for primary students, curriculum links for teachers, and a digital magazine for teens that contains useful content.

Step 5: Attend the awards ceremony, tentatively scheduled for Sept 24 to find out if you’ve won or been a runner up! Enjoy your prizes – we can arrange mentorship by appropriate businesses or industry leaders, incursions, excursions, attendance and participation in the Hunter Innovation Festival, there’s cash, trophies and certificates.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out and talk to us (email us at ybma@careerlinks.nsw.edu.au. Put your hand up for a visit. We want to make this as easy and rewarding for you as we can. We really believe that events like these help to foster the skills and networks our young people are going to need to be successful in the future and we’d love your students to be a part of it this year. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Tags Careers, Entrepreneurs, Hunter young Business mind awards, HYBMA, Innovators, YBMA, Young Entrepreneurs

HYBMA 2024 Uncategorized

Prizes for YBMA 2024

Post author By Liane Morris
Post date May 28, 2024

Prizes for YBMA are a bit different this year. We want to bring more value to the school, teachers and students. The biggest change is the collaboration with the Hunter Innovation Festival and the opportunity for students to attend and even participate in the festival. The addition of business and industry mentorships will be facilitated through Hunter IF and sponsors.

PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Primary Schools enter the Sustainability Category as a classroom or as individuals. There will be one winner and one runner up with some encouragement awards.

Primary Winner/s will receive:

School – $200 + Primary School Trophy

Entrant/s – $50 cash card + medallions & certificates

Invitation to attend the Hunter Innovation Festival valued at $249pp

Runners up & Encouragement Awards will be medallions & certificates.

SECONDARY SCHOOLS/UNDER 25S

Secondary Schools and Under 25s enter as groups or individuals in the categories of Business, Social Enterprise, Sustainability, Design & Technology and Creative Industries. There will be one winner and runner up from each category with some encouragement awards.

Secondary / Under 25s Winner/s will receive:

School – $200 + Category Trophy

Entrant/s – $50 cash card + medallions & certificates

Invitation to attend the Hunter Innovation Festival valued at $249pp

Runners up & Encouragement Awards will be medallions & certificates.

OVERALL WINNER

This year we’ve decided to award an overall winner. The overall winner can be awarded from either Primary, Secondary or Under 25s.

Overall Winner will receive:

School – $500 + Secondary School Trophy

If not in school, Under 25s – $500 seed funding + Trophy

Entrant/s – $100 cash card + medallions & certificates

Invitation to Hunter Innovation Festival valued at $249pp

Opportunity to pitch at the Hunter Angels Pitch Event as part of Hunter Innovation Festival

TEACHERS

And we never forget our teachers, who can enter for innovation in the classroom. There will be one winner and one runner up with a possible encouragement award.

Winner will receive:

School – $500 + School Trophy

Entrant – $100 cash card + Trophy & certificate

Invitation to Hunter Innovation Festival valued at $249pp

Runners up & Encouragement Awards will be medallions & certificates.

In addition to the above prizes there will also be mentorships, incursions, excursions etc offered through sponsor organisations and/or the Hunter Innovation Festival. We are looking to showcase the winners at the festival and invite a panel of young people to participate.

Tags Careers, Entrepreneurs, Hunter young Business mind awards, HYBMA, Innovators, YBMA, Young Entrepreneurs

HYBMA 2024

Career Links & HYBMA Join Forces

Post author By Liane Morris
Post date March 1, 2024

Hunter Young Business Mind Awards and Career Links have very exciting news! We’ve joined forces to deliver the competition in 2024 and from now on HYBMA will be a Career Links event, delivered to you by the team behind the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Career Expo, the Work Placement Program, Youthlinks, the Future Choices Disability Expo, YAKKA and the Mini Electric Vehicle Challenge.

We are working behind the scenes to have everything ready to launch this year’s competition before the end of March. In the meantime, there are no plans to change the structure of the competition, in this way, teachers and students can begin confidently working on their projects.

Primary schools can enter as individuals or as classes in the category of Sustainability. Secondary schools and tertiary students can enter as individuals or a group in the categories of Sustainability, Business Enterprise, Creative Industries, Design & Technology, or Social Enterprise.

Career Links would like to acknowledge the hard work and commitment that has gone into the development of the awards over the years by the founding board of HYBMA and past sub-committee members who were all volunteers. This exciting new phase of the awards brings the expertise of the Career Links team who have extensive experience and relationships with schools, industry and businesses to take HYBMA to the next level.

Let’s make this year’s awards truly amazing – celebrating the innovation, passions and entrepreneurial spirit of our youth.

Tags Careers, Entrepreneurs, Hunter young Business mind awards, HYBMA, Innovators, Young Entrepreneurs

HYBMA 2023

Celebrating the Hunter’s Young Business Minds 2023 Award Winners

Post author By Liane Morris
Post date November 18, 2023

The Hunter Young Business Mind Awards (HYBMA) has celebrated and awarded this year’s young entrepreneurs and innovative teachers at a packed event held at University of Newcastle’s I2N on Honeysuckle. In it’s sixth year, the awards recognise young people under the age of 25 who have an innovative business concept, product, service or solution and educators for innovation in the classroom.

The event was MC’d by innovation ecosystem connector and Business Development Manager for The University of Newcastle Research Associates, Daniel Smith, who began his own journey into innovation and change making when he was still at high school and believes that traditional jobs are ‘dead’.

“The most important skill you can learn is how to solve problems,” said Daniel. “And that is what all of the award participants have done.”

Supported by local companies such as Hunter Water and Ampcontrol that are seeking next-generation skills to future-proof their business, the awards provide an avenue for our region’s youth to showcase their ideas and network with industry leaders.

“It was amazing getting to speak with industry experts, fellow students and the many other people who attended the awards night,” said 14-year-old Joshua Pidgeon, winner of the Design and Technology award. “I was excited to talk to the Newcastle Airport Astra Aerolab representative for over 30 minutes! I’m hoping to apply again next year.”

Across several different categories, entrants tried to solve real world problems with runners up winning $500 and winners receiving $1000. The problems tackled by the students were wide-ranging and included: accessible self-checkouts; portable washing and spinning device for backpackers; a school uniform recycling program; an app that records where you’ve parked your car; sustainable shelters for school bus stops; milk cartons made from sustainable milk casein and recycled cardboard; a product that promotes nutrient density in the soil and many more innovative ideas.

“I learnt a lot through this project,” said Joshua Pidgeon who developed the sustainable bus shelters. “I learnt about the design process, about pre-modelling and sustainable materials used in construction.”

Lotus Antoni, winner of the Business Enterprise award for her Dairy Way submission has big plans for the future.

“I want to take my concept to UNSW to find the right formula for my sustainable milk carton, to research the correct formula and then take it to the government.”

And perhaps, most moving of all, young 14-year-old Taya Porter who was in a wheelchair, shared her frustrations at inaccessible self-checkouts and the difficulty it places her in when she goes shopping.

“Our design for accessible self-checkouts will provide greater independence for people like me,” said Taya. “It creates a better quality of life for those in a wheelchair and able-bodied people who may not be suited to the usual check out design.”

AND THE WINNERS ARE:

The Teacher Innovation Award

Runner Up: Caroline Phillips and Amy Radford – Macquarie College – Transdisciplinary Education Program

Winner: Jade Bassett – Rutherford Technology High – Women in Stem

Primary Students Innovation in Sustainability

Runner up: The Youth Environment Council – Belltrees Primary School – Biological Bubble Bath

Winner: Creative Creators Team – Shoal Bay Primary School – Creative Creators

Secondary & Under 25’s Innovation in Sustainability

Runner up: Isabella McGhie – Belmont Christian College – Izzys Services Sustainability

Winner: Isabelle Donohoe – Hunter Valley Grammar – Aquarinse

Secondary & Under 25’s Innovation in Business Enterprise

Runner up: Annabel McKensey, Zara Campbell, Kiara Drinkwater – Newcastle Grammar – Find my Car

Winner: Lotus Antoni Rutherford High School – Dairy Way

Secondary & Under 25’s Innovation in Social Enterprise

Runner up: Annika van Woerkom – Hunter Valley Grammar – Safe Seats

Winner: Tilly Bevin, Taya Porter, Alice Wilkinson, Emma Collinson, Samia Burke, Laura Gabrielli – Hunter School of Performing Arts – Accessible Self-Checkout

Secondary & Under 25’s Innovation in Design & Technology

Runner up: Charles Cohen – Newcastle Grammar School – Zenithium the future of security assets

Winner: Joshua Pidgeon Bishop Tyrell Anglican College – Star – School Transport and Roads Shelter Plan

Tricia Martin, HYBMA Sub-Committee Chair, CEO of Nudge On and herself an FYA Young Social Pioneer sees the organisation as a proud champion of young innovators across the Hunter region.

“And we don’t plan to slow down,” said Tricia. “In 2024 HYBMA will spotlight and celebrate Hunter youth spanning from Primary School to 25 years of age who have developed entrepreneurial solutions to challenges spanning from sustainability, design and tech to accessibility. The awards will be open from early 2024.”

Tags Entrepreneurs, Hunter young Business mind awards, HYBMA, Innovators, Young Entrepreneurs

HYBMA 2023

Career Pathways with Ampcontrol – Gold Sponsor

Post author By Liane Morris
Post date October 11, 2023

Innovation is embedded into the DNA of Ampcontrol, and we’re committed to empowering the next generation to challenge the future of energy through sponsoring the Hunter Young Business Mind Awards.

Ampcontrol creates energy solutions of scale using innovation partnerships, our smart people and our advanced Australian manufacturing capabilities. Our vision is to lead the global energy revolution and make net zero a reality.

Every day, the world-first innovations from Ampcontrol help and support customers in all industries to decarbonise. With a proven track record of over half a century of developing custom energy solutions, we’re trusted by customers worldwide to future-proof their business.

We recognise that the energy sector is changing, progressing into renewable sources such as battery/electric, hydrogen and solar to reduce our carbon footprint. With these advancements comes a wealth of jobs and opportunities to make a real impact in the movement towards net zero.

Your unique talents, expertise and insights could play a pivotal role in helping us lead the global energy revolution. If you’re an innovator, thought leader, or someone who is up for challenging the status quo, we want to hear from you.

To make it even easier, here are the three avenues you can choose from:

SCHOOL LEAVERS: From work placements through to traineeships, we provide hands-on learning opportunities for aspiring electricians, electronic technicians, fabricators, and mechanical fitters.
UNIVERSITY GRADUATES: We offer multiple avenues for university undergraduates and recent graduates to gain valuable experience in energy, infrastructure and resource sectors, from Work Integrated Learning and Industrial Placements through to our Graduate Pathways and Graduate Program
APPRENTICE PROGRAMS: Combining study and work experience, our apprentice programs are available in trades such as Electrotechnology, Fabrication, Electronics, Electrical Fitting and Mechanical Fitting and Engineering – Mechanical.

Find out more about our range of career pathways into Ampcontrol and discover how you can play a part in revolutionising industry. ???? https://ampcontrolgroup.com/work-with-us/career-pathways

Tags Careers, Hunter young Business mind awards, HYBMA, Innovators, Sponsor

HYBMA 2023

Entrepreneurship & Innovation – Essential Skills for the Future

Post author By Liane Morris
Post date September 6, 2023

The legacy of the covid pandemic, the rising costs of living and changing technologies all contribute to the evolving employment landscape and the way in which our young people will engage with it. Recent studies* have shown that these circumstances have influenced the way people under the age of 24 perceive their future, with as many as 77 percent of Gen Zs having a strong preference for entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurship is seen as a way to diversify income streams, to follow your passions and to have more control over your life. The covid pandemic adversely affected our young workers who bore the brunt of 55 percent of the job losses despite only making up 14 percent of the market. This had a significant impact and resulted in many changing their priorities. Gen Z now values passion and work/life balance over everything else, including financial reward, and much more so than previous generations.

Add into this equation the effects of changes to technology and the rise in AI and it’s easy to understand why young people want to have more control over their choices. In terms of traditional employment, many of the jobs our children will work in actually don’t exist yet. Then there are the opportunities that AI opens up for tech savvy innovators.

According to Peter F Drucker of the Harvard Business Review: “Innovation is the specific function of entrepreneurship, … It is the means by which the entrepreneur either creates new wealth-producing resources or endows existing resources with enhanced potential for creating wealth.”

In other words, you can’t really be an entrepreneur without embracing the need for creative thinking and innovation. So as the world continues to evolve, our young people will need to cultivate skills that will empower them to thrive in a landscape of constant change. Entrepreneurial thinking and innovation, along with flexibility and resilience are critical skills to develop for future success.

The Hunter Young Business Mind Awards (HYBMA) has been providing a showcase opportunity for children and young people under the age of 25 to develop entrepreneurial projects since 2017. Young people are encouraged to enter a business idea, design a new product or showcase a creative project for a chance to win $1000 of seed funding and recognition at an industry networking awards night. It’s not just about winning an award; it’s about taking a step closer to a future where their ideas can make a difference.

In 2018, Belmont Christian College year 11 students won two awards. The Business Studies teacher, Mr Ross Urane, recommends the awards to students and teachers at other schools and already has students who have entered this year.

“Anything that inspires our young people is great,” said Mr Urane. “These awards deliver the opportunity for innovative thinking and problem solving … something that will become critically important in their future. We already run a Shark Tank expo where students pitch their ideas, so entering the pitch into the awards is not difficult.”

There is also an opportunity to network with industry at the awards night.

“The awards night is more than just a ceremony; it’s an opportunity for students to connect with local professionals who have already made their mark,” said Tricia Martin, CEO of Nudge On, Digital Learning and Employment Solutions Consultancy and Chair of the HYBMA Sub Committee. “It’s a chance to network and seek advice, bridging the gap between classroom projects and real-world applications. Even the venue, the Q Building, adds an exciting dimension. As the entrepreneurial hub of Newcastle, it’s the perfect place to showcase projects and make connection with local industry leaders.”

HYBMA provides parents and teachers with the resources needed to encourage the young people in their lives to enter the awards, to have a go and see where their ideas can take them. Categories include Sustainability, Creative Industries, Design & Technology, Social Enterprise, and Business. To enter, students prepare a simple pitch deck and a two-minute video and submit through the website at www.ybma.com.au. Entries close on October 9 and the awards night will be held on November 15.

*The studies referred to: GoDaddy/Antenna 2023 Research; Frontline Recruitment Group January 2023; The Square Gen Z Survey by Wakefield Research April 2023

Tags Entrepreneurs, Hunter young Business mind awards, HYBMA, Young Entrepreneurs

HYBMA 2023

Empowering Student Creativity

Post author By Tricia Martin
Post date August 30, 2023

NEW AWARD CATEGORIES BRING LOCAL IDEAS TO

REAL WORLD APPLICATION

This year, the Hunter Young Business Minds Awards (HYBMA) have introduced two fresh categories: Design and Technology and Creative Industries. These additions offer Hunter students working on major projects or Personal Inquiry Projects a practical opportunity to bring their ideas to life and the world of industry.

For students undertaking Design and Technology, the Design and Technology category is a golden opportunity to showcase their expertise. Submitting their works and projects to the HYBMA is not just about recognition; it’s about getting the support needed to turn innovative ideas into reality. Winning this category means receiving seed funding that can kickstart projects, turning classroom concepts into tangible products.

Similarly, the Creative Industries category celebrates students’ artistic and creative pursuits. Whether it’s an innovative approach to set design, an artwork, or an entrepreneurial solution to support the creative arts, this category acknowledges the power of creativity across fields. For Visual Arts, Music, Visual Design, Textiles and Design and Drama Studies students, this award offers a steppingstone to take creative projects further, with the potential to secure resources or collaborate with professionals.

The awards night, due to be held on November 15, is more than just a ceremony; it’s an opportunity for students to connect with local professionals who have already made their mark. It’s a chance to network and seek advice, bridging the gap between classroom projects and real-world applications. Even the venue, the Q Building, adds an exciting dimension. As the entrepreneurial hub of Newcastle, it’s the perfect place to showcase projects and make connections. This is a unique chance for students to present their work in a dynamic environment, preparing them for potential interactions with local industry leaders.

In a nutshell, the new Design and Technology and Creative Industries categories of the HYBMA provide a practical pathway for students to turn their ideas into something real. Whether it’s designing a new product or showcasing a creative project, these categories offer recognition, funding, and a platform to connect with industry experts. It’s not just about winning an award; it’s about taking a step closer to a future where their ideas can make a difference.

Entries close on October 9.