A Level students triumph in TikTok business competition
14th February 2024 – Tags: A Levels, Business
Three A Level students from City College Norwich impressed Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) professionals at TikTok with their ideas for promoting a sustainable clothing brand, taking first place in The Hustle Lab’s TikTok World Changer Challenge.
Abdul Musa-Akanbi , Ciara Cabral Semedo, and Mae Uong, comprised one of two City College Norwich teams to reach the final in London, where they came up against student teams from the UK, Nigeria and Jamaica (with the overseas teams taking part remotely).
The Winning Team from City College Norwich with leaders from TikTok and The Hustle Lab. (Picture: Erin Patel)
To reach the final of the competition, the students had to create three TikTok videos to promote a sustainable clothing brand, drawing on what they had learnt about fashion retail and corporate social responsibility through the 3-week World Changer Challenge. More than 1,000 students from 5 different countries entered the challenge.
Drawing on their learning from the World Changer course, the students had to give a presentation on their marketing strategy for an African-themed clothing brand.
We had to do a presentation on our strategies for the clothing brand”, says Mae, “We focused on sustainability and ethical production, linking to our suppliers, and how we would promote that through TikTok.”
Abdul says that teamwork was key to the group’s success in the competition:
Ciara is very good at social media, that’s what she does. When it came to the TikTok part, making videos, that was her bag. When it came to writing about the strategies, I took that part because I felt a bit more confident in my writing skills. And Mae was a blend of the two, she was overseeing everything. We worked well together.”
Reflecting on her experiences from the competition, Ciara comments:
I’ve learnt that some clothing brands and fast fashion can be quite harmful to the environment. I enjoyed it because I am interested in digital marketing and social media.”
Abdul, Mae and Ciara during their visit to TikTok's UK Head Office in London. (Picture: Erin Patel)
The stylish building and working environment at TikTok’s UK Head Office, in the heart of the City of London, made a big impression on all the students.
It was not as intimidating as I thought it was going to be.”, says Abdul. “It was chilled. I think that is the coolest working environment I could ever imagine. Everywhere looked so modern, so good. The technology they have there, it was insane.”
Ciara adds, “Visiting TikTok was a really good experience. It just looked really professional. I’d love to work there one day.”
In addition to the invaluable experiences gained from taking part in the competition, the students were each presented with a goody bag full of TikTok merch.
The 6 A Level Business students from City College who reached the final. (Picture: Erin Patel)
Craig Osborne, Head of A Levels at City College Norwich, said:
“Students on our A Level Business course have engaged really well with the Hustle Lab’s World Changer competitions. This particular challenge, combining a focus on fashion with a hugely popular social media platform, really grabbed the students’ interest and enthusiasm.
To have two teams reach the final of an international competition is a fantastic achievement. Congratulations to Declan Palmer, Ben Savage, Beau Mitchell, Mae Uong, Abdul Musa-Akanbi and Ciara Cabral Semedo for their amazing work on this challenge, and a big thank you to their lecturer, Deborah Stewart, for supporting and encouraging them to take up the opportunity.”