BCoT art and design students Beth and Emily Porter are selling a range of products made and designed by themselves at the college’s shop, Aspiral, in Basingstoke town centre.

The girls, who are cousins, are selling bags, cushions and coasters, designed as part of their course.

They made their products in some lessons, continuing the work at home to complete their collection ready to sell in Aspiral.

Former Fort Hill Commuinty School pupil Emily said: “For our course, we need to complete 35 hours of enterprise, and selling our products in Aspiral went towards this, which is very helpful. I would have wanted to take this opportunity even if it didn’t contribute to our course because it was a great experience.”

Many courses at BCoT require students to complete Employability and Enterprise (E and E) sessions.

The main aim is to teach young people the skills they need to enter the world of work.

Beth said that she has learned so much from these E and E lessons, adding: “We have learned that when you are trying to sell a product you need to be very professional. You need to take pride in your presentation and of course your products. The two go hand-in-hand.”

The girls are delighted with how well their products have been selling in Aspiral, and say that it has been a very positive experience.

Beth said: “We can add this to our CVs – saying we have sold our designs in a shop will look great to employers.

“I would like a job in textiles so this has all been invaluable and made me feel even more positive about my career goal.”

Tara Bowers, of Devlin Rhodes, the company helping BCoT to run Aspiral, said: “Aspiral is a much-needed shop in Basingstoke – we are the only places selling purely organic and sustainable products.

“We are more than happy to keep a section purely for BCoT students’ work and hope they can learn from our experience and also about the importance of sustainability in the workplace.”