Web design, app design and now a ‘Co-operative’ for students
Fri, 19 Jun 2015 15:42:00 BST
Mature student Marcus shows the way with a multitude of entrepreneurial projects
THE University of Huddersfield gained an asset when Marcus Heap (pictured right), aged 42 years old and from Rochdale, decided to come to University to get a degree in software engineering.
After being an IT professional for over twenty years and gaining a breadth of contacts along the way, Marcus had always wanted to run his own software design company. He is now nearing the end of his first year of study and has already set up the business with the help of the University’s Enterprise Team in The Duke of York Young Entrepreneur Centre.
The business, Web Design Experts (WDE), was set up in January and has already procured contracts with leading retail suppliers to build mobile applications for iPhones and iPads. The success of it has taken Marcus by surprise and he is so busy that he wants to share the work out amongst other students.
“I am extremely busy with all of the work which has been offered to me, whilst also committing to my studies, so I am keen to let other students on my course benefit too,” said Marcus. “I subcontract work out in order for them to build the Android equivalent of what I build for the iPads and iPhones,” he added.
Marcus plans to take the Enterprise Placement Year during the third year of his degree, so that he can fully concentrate on the business. During those twelve months, he will build two software applications, one targeted towards landlords and letting agents which he believes will have the potential to revolutionise the industry and the other will be targeted at retailers. There is even a former dragon from the television programme Dragons’ Den interested in the latter.
Crossing The Pennines
Whilst being based in the Entrepreneur Centre, WDE has been working with a social enterprise called ‘Crossing the Pennines’, which is part of the Milestone Society. The society has set up a travel heritage trail, which showcases fascinating aspects of a route in the scenic valley of the River Colne in Yorkshire. The official opening is on Saturday 4 July.
“We created an app for them which became a part of my coursework,” said Marcus. “This was brilliant because not only was I working on my studies but I was also able to give something back to the community as well,” he added.
With the number of commissions continually growing for Marcus, since becoming an undergraduate, he has had the novel idea of setting up a student society called Hudsoft, which stands for Huddersfield Software. Consisting of a group of Huddersfield students, the group would create software for external companies for payment to the students that have worked on the project
“It would even be available to students from other degrees,” added Marcus. “We could all come together and create a co-operative that we can leave for students in the years following. It would be run by students for students and would encourage people to get professional experience on their CVs,” he said.
Marcus aims to start Hudsoft in September and will be encouraging the 200 plus students on the software engineering course to take part.
