Leicester College student is National Entrepreneur of the Year finalist in Peter Jones Foundation 2023 awards

Jevean Barryclough reaches finals of prestigious national awards, to be announced at Hampton Court ceremony on 21 September.

Jevean Barryclough, a student in the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy (PJEA) at Leicester College, has been selected as a finalist in the Entrepreneur of the Year category of the Peter Jones Foundation national awards.

Jevean is in the second year of the Business Enterprise (Peter Jones) BTEC National Foundation Diploma level 3 at Leicester College. She runs her own ‘Da Goat Clothing’ sustainable clothing brand, championing ‘slow fashion’, ethical practices and re-purposing old clothes into new products.

As part of the judging, she will be pitching her business ideas to Peter Jones and his team in a Dragon’s Den style.

The National Entrepreneur of the Year award is the highest achievement available to both year 1 and year 2 PJEA students and offers a prize of up to £5,000 for the winner. The competition is open to students in years 12 or 13 who are studying other courses at a school or college hosting a PJEA. The winner will become a brand ambassador for the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy for the duration of the year-long title.

Jevean Barryclough said:

“I’m so excited to be part of this competition and very grateful to make the final stages. The College really believed in me and hopefully, it will provide me with a platform to push my sustainable clothing business on to the next level.”

Beena Ghattoraya, Programme Lead at Leicester College, added:

“Jevean has embraced the values of the Peter Jones Foundation and has demonstrated an entrepreneurial mindset throughout. During trading, Jevean consistently sold out on her products and took pre-orders. She also finished second across all of the academies nationally on the Tycoon Challenge leaderboard.

“Jevean is a role model for her peers and is always willing to take part in extra projects for the mentors who work with us in the Academy. We, as a college, will be rooting for her to bring home the prize.”