Young entrepreneurs have been encouraged to seize unique business opportunities available in 2020 as University College Birmingham students took part in a new virtual bootcamp to support emerging enterprises.

Students and graduates on the Birmingham Skills for Enterprise and Employability Network (BSEEN) programme had been due to attend an intensive five-day bootcamp at the University this month to help hone their business skills, before circumstances caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic led to the event being moved into an online format spread over several weeks.

Yet the new virtual incarnation of the event proved a big hit, with more than 50 participants able to engage with industry experts remotely through interactive sessions as well as networking with entrepreneurial peers through WhatsApp.

Among September's online cohort was BA (Hons) Business Enterprise graduate Paula Bowers, who enrolled on the bootcamp to help boost her startup business Game On – a dedicated social video gaming centre for children aged 8-14, with plans to launch its first site in Birmingham next year.

As a parent who normally needs to commute to campus, Paula revealed how the switch to a virtual event had been a great help to her and praised the quality of the online sessions.

"As I would otherwise have needed to commute every day, the virtual format worked for me," she said. "I think it was done extremely well and I really enjoyed it.

"I like face-to-face interaction, but although it was virtual, it was very interactive. All of the trainers took their time out to answer any questions we had and the format in no way hindered the programme.

"I got to meet a lot of people on our own WhatsApp group and we're still all chatting and bouncing ideas off each other – that's been one of the biggest bonuses for me."

Are you a student entrepreneur? Find out more about the startup support available from University College Birmingham's Enterprise Hub.

Interested in a career in business? Check out our full range of business courses here.