Entrepreneur and business mentor George Savva recently returned to Gower College Swansea to deliver an inspirational career workshop to Level 1 Art and Design students - a visit organised by the college's Enterprise Officer Lucy Turtle via the Welsh Government’s Big Ideas Role Model programme.
“We were extremely fortunate to have George attend the Llwyn y Bryn campus for this workshop," says Lucy. “George is an educator and a businessman who has spent the last 25 years understanding training and - indeed - what makes young people consume and apply that training. He has learned through the years that you can teach almost anybody almost anything as long as you 'Engage, Entertain and Educate'."
"George’s message to our students was one of hopefulness and, more importantly, how that hopefulness can translate into them being the entrepreneurs and the employers of the future. They just need to understand that the people they revere and admire were, at one time, sitting just like they were on the day”.
"My main message during the session was entrepreneurship - how, if they wanted, each student could start an enterprise and have the blessing and support of Wales," adds George. “The idea was not to get them to rush out and start a business but rather to consider and germinate the possibility – and, if they decide to go for it, exactly what resources are there for them to draw on.”
“George was an incredibly engaging and inspirational speaker," adds Senior Tutor Caryn Morgan. “His enthusiasm grabbed the attention of the students and allowed a great deal of interaction within the group. The stories he told, of how many internationally recognised businesses started from nothing, made the students feel that anything was possible and nothing is impossible, giving them real hope for the future.”
George learned his craft from The Dale Carnegie Organisation after he’d joined as a customer in 1990. From there it was an adventure to not only keep his business running and thriving by day but also to train and educate for the Carnegie Organisation in the evenings.
Photo: George Savva (centre) with Llwyn y Bryn students and Caryn Morgan.