Sheffield Hallam Turns Students Into Award-Winning Founders

Emma Redfern never imagined walking across a stage to accept the UK Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2025. When the 27-year-old started her fashion design degree at Sheffield Hallam University, launching her own business seemed impossible.

Everything changed when Redfern joined the university's Work for Yourself scheme. The year-long placement lets students run their own businesses, build entrepreneurial skills, and earn income while getting academic credit.

"I'd always had little side hustles, like selling on Etsy, so I thought it would be a good way of building up my experience while still being creative," Redfern says. During that year, she launched The Calming Club, a self-care stationery brand for people with anxiety.

The university gave her access to the iLab, a dedicated workspace for student entrepreneurs with specialist facilities and expert support. Staff helped her learn to pitch investors, connected her with established business owners, and kept her on track.

The experience was so powerful that Redfern switched her major to fashion management and communication to learn marketing and business development. After graduation, she dove into self-employment as a brand strategist while running The Calming Club.

Today she leads Studio Self-Made, helping creators and business owners from diverse backgrounds build their networks and personal brands. Her journey from uncertain student to award-winning entrepreneur shows what's possible with the right support.

Second-year student Josh Parsons, 19, is already following in her footsteps. As part of his business management with enterprise degree, he created Print Deck 3D, a custom 3D printing company.

His first customer was Prof Jennifer Smith Maguire, executive dean at the College of Business, Technology and Engineering. After seeing his work at a university pop-up shop, she asked him to design a phone stand for her mother with advanced Parkinson's disease.

"I worked with her to develop a design that wouldn't be too fiddly for her mum to use, and she was delighted with it," Parsons says. He credits the university's careers fairs, one-on-one business advice, and startup workshops for helping him turn a class project into a thriving business.

The Ripple Effect

Sheffield Hallam's approach is changing how universities prepare students for modern careers. In 2026, the university launched a seven-part career promise that includes hands-on learning, employer connections, lifelong career support, and access to industry expertise.

"Our students' sense of what a career looks like is very different from previous generations," Smith Maguire says. The promise reflects that reality by making sure graduates leave work-ready, whether they want traditional employment or to forge their own path.

The results speak for themselves. Students leave with more than a degree—they have real business experience, paying customers, and confidence that comes from building something from scratch.

Redfern believes these skills matter even for students who don't launch businesses. "It's hard for graduates at the moment, so it helps to leave university with something different under your belt," she says.

Sheffield Hallam's graduates are proving that with the right support, students can transform from uncertain freshmen into confident founders ready to change the world.