Students at Ascent Autism Specialist College in Newton-le-Willows recently achieved huge success at its highly anticipated enterprise-themed spring fair. The well-attended event showcased the students’ creative talents and reinforced the college’s commitment to developing essential life and employability skills.
Ascent College, part of the Remarkable Autism Charity, is a further education college, dedicated to providing expert specialist education for autistic young people aged 16 to 25. The college offers personalised pathways to independence and employment, tailoring education to each student’s unique needs. It focuses on life skills development, enhancing functional, personal, and self-help abilities through hands-on experiences like the enterprise fair, which is a key part of their employability training.
The college’s annual spring fair invites the local community and beyond to come together, enjoy activities and shop for unique items. For 2025, students dialled it up a notch and eagerly embraced the opportunity to further develop their employability and enterprise skills.
Specifically, they set up and managed stalls throughout the day, selling their tycoon enterprise goods, including beautifully painted doormats, scented candles and soaps, wellbeing hampers, unique pebble art, and more.
These creative products are regularly created by the young people, who recently sold items at the Earlestown Teenage Markets as well as entered the Peter Jones Tycoon Competition.
Employability and Enterprise Skills
Visitors to the event, including Dame Elaine Inglesby-Burke, the Mayor of St Helens, Councillors Terry Maguire and Karl Collier, and members of the Newton Rotary Club, had the opportunity to meet with the students and purchase their products, which were presented on the students’ stalls. The high-quality items on display were a clear reflection of the students’ creativity, hard work, and entrepreneurial skills.
As part of the Peter Jones Foundation Tycoon Enterprise, Ascent College currently has six student-run businesses, including Bee Well (offering packaged wellbeing gifts), Ascent Cards (handmade greeting cards), aSCENT (homemade fragranced wax scents), ASCENT You Pebbles (bespoke framed pebble art), and Remarkable Gifts (a collection of seasonal artisan gifts).
Students received £1,000 from Peter Jones CBE to kick-start the businesses and have since been hugely successful in not only selling products but also developing creativity and key entrepreneurial skills.
On enterprise days, they work together to form business plans, analyse cost of sales, track profits and losses, and plan marketing, something that requires great teamwork, communication, organisation, problem-solving, negotiation and, of course, motivation.
The college is passionate about enhancing its young people’s employability and ensuring a smooth transition between childhood and adulthood and often sources an array of opportunities for them to learn further functional and personal skills.
Once again, this year’s enterprise-themed spring fair was a huge success, with high attendance and students successfully selling a wide range of items throughout the day. Now firmly established as one of the college’s key events, it continues to be a highlight of the annual calendar.
Apprenticeships and Careers after College
Head of adult services at Ascent Autism Specialist College, Julliet Doherty, said: “We are all absolutely thrilled about the success of the enterprise fair. Our students have gone above and beyond, passionately creating amazing products and selling them to the public who absolutely loved them!
“I am so proud of their accomplishments and the entrepreneurial progress that they have made. It is a joy to witness their growing independence and confidence each day, and the results achieved through their hard work.”
Robin Bush, CEO of Remarkable Autism Charity, commented: “It is important that our young people are well-equipped with the tools and skills needed to transition into adulthood and progress into apprenticeships and careers after college. At Remarkable, we believe in pushing the boundaries for autistic individuals, supporting and empowering them to unlock their full potential.
“The enterprise fair has been a fantastic platform to showcase the incredible creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of our students, and we all look forward to seeing their businesses continue to flourish throughout the Tycoon Enterprise Competition.”
The finalists of the Peter Jones Tycoon Enterprise Competition will be announced in July 2025 following the closure of the trading window.
