Edinburgh Napier students are successful
Edinburgh Napier is Edinburgh’s top university for graduate employability - that means your chances of getting a job are better if you study here than anywhere else in Edinburgh. Just have a look at what these 2 graduates have gone on to do - what could you do with a Edinburgh Napier degree?
Roz Colthart – Online fashion store entrepreneur
Roz graduated from Napier University in 2001 with a Diploma in Marketing, which she studied for part-time. Since then she has run Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island, which boasts 74 acres of tropical paradise, and launched an informal networking business club for women called Girls and Business (GAB) - pitched as “business, without the bull… or the balls.” Her biggest achievement to date though, has been launching Black Essentials, a successful online fashion store selling smart black clothing.
Roz said: “I had the idea for Black Essentials about six years ago but it was a matter of waiting until I had the courage, time and experience to launch it. Black just never seems to go out of fashion. I eventually decided to take the plunge – I didn’t want to work for someone else anymore."
When Edinburgh Napier was recently ranked number one for graduate employability in Scotland Roz said: “It comes as no surprise to me that Napier students have been recognised as the most employable in Scotland. As well as offering a wide range of excellent courses and teaching staff, the University embraces innovation and new initiatives in order to give students a mix of course knowledge and confidence providing an excellent platform from which to launch their career.”
To visit Roz's sites please go to:
www.girlsandbusiness.com
www.black-essentials.com
David McGrath – Bringing gamers together
David McGrath, 28, graduated from Napier University in 2004 with a BA (Hons) in Business Studies. According to David, this course was the ideal preparation for launching a successful business. And he should know - having gone on to open Edinburgh's online gaming venue, The Ministry of Gaming. The shop now boasts 4 employees, around 3,000 gaming users, and a number of internet only users
The Ministry of Gaming on Bread Street can cater for 30 online gamers accessing all of the most popular online games, as well as having an internet café and gaming peripherals shop.
David said: "The idea came from a conversation with my cousin. I thought it was ridiculous at first, because almost everyone has a PC or a console at home but the more we talked about it, it became clear that it was a real business opportunity.
"We did the necessary research to ascertain what the potential growth was, and we decided that Scotland could sustain one or two of our projects. In 2007 we met our target of £110,000 and we're looking to improve on that this year."
David began planning his business in April 2006, together with his cousin, and they opened for business in December that year. David said: "I think the entrepreneurial aspects of the course turned out to be integral to the formation of our business. They're like the first 10 steps out of 50 that you have to take when setting up your own business."
When Edinburgh Napier was recently ranked number one for graduate employability in Scotland, David said: "It's not surprising, because there are clear benefits to studying there. It has excellent industry contacts and good people in good roles at the University. My course had placement elements which were invaluable, allowing me to approach the employment market with the relevant experience."
Visit The Ministry of Gaming website at:
www.tmog.co.uk