College of North West London joins Visionnaires to help aspiring entrepreneurs start their own business
The United Colleges Group, City of Westminster College and College of North West London, has become a founding partner of Visionnaires, a not-for profit organisation with the potential to help thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs across the UK.
Visionnaires provides free programmes for people wanting to start their own business or become self-employed, which include workshops, seminars, resources, support and advice.
Figures* show that:
Visionnaires was originally founded within Capital City College Group (CCCG) in 2019, with United Colleges Group, South Thames Colleges Group and NCG joining to form a community interest company in August this year.
CCCG already runs programmes through City and Islington College, Westminster Kingsway College (WestKing) and the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL), and its apprenticeship and training provider Capital City College Training (CCCT).
The new partner college groups are now rolling out programmes at eight further colleges – City of Westminster College, College of North West London, South Thames College, Carshalton College, Kingston College, Lewisham College, Southwark College and Carlisle College.
Colleges from across the UK are invited to join Visionnaires to encourage entrepreneurship their communities and grow local economies.
Visionnaires has already helped more than 400 entrepreneurs from many diverse backgrounds start new businesses. A huge 96 per cent of participants have endorsed the programme as ‘excellent’.
Participants take part in practical workshops and receive expert advice and resources on topics including marketing, selling, finance and business planning. They can also promote their business in the Marketplace section of the Visionnaires website and continue to receive support and resources from Visionnaires indefinitely.
Visionnaires also runs workshops to inspire entrepreneurship among young people.
Nicolas and Julia Vendramin, launched their fashion business LABELL-D after receiving advice and support from Visionnaires. The company sells collections from top designers made from recycled and sustainable materials.
Nicolas and Julia Vendramin, from West Dulwich, launched their fashion business LABELL-D after joining Visionnaires. The company sells collections from top designers made from recycled and sustainable materials.
Nicolas, 40, who previously worked for fashion houses including Hugo Boss, Bally and Harrys of London, said: “The fashion industry is very polluting in its nature and we wanted to do something about that. We’ve always been passionate about sustainable living and decided to set-up our own company to sell sustainable fashion.
“As I’ve always worked in big companies and thought big too – 10 steps ahead – but Wendy, my Visionnaires tutor, brought me down to earth and reminded me that a new business has to start from zero. The six-week course she taught was very pragmatic and helped me focus on the basics and get them right first. It was also great to learn with other entrepreneurs.”
Jay Patel, 29, joined Visionnaires to help him start up his culinary business Flavour Street to enable cooks to sell and deliver their own home-cooked food.
He said: “I have always been a massive foodie. I have family in hospitality and always been around it, but had never really done anything about it. I think the marketing part of the programme was the most helpful for me. I learnt how to plan out a campaign in a structured way. Also, I learnt a lot from the other participants on the programme too.”
Visionnaires’ CEO is social entrepreneur Pablo Lloyd OBE.
He said: “We’ve been running Visionnaires in partnership with CCCG for the past two years where we have seen a lot of demand and very encouraging feedback from participants. We have now developed a rich ecosystem of support for people who want to start their own business or become self-employed.
“Over the past year a number of other colleges expressed an interest in working with Visionnaires, and off the back of that I am delighted the programme is now available with 12 colleges to enable many more people in their communities to fulfil their entrepreneurial hopes and dreams and contribute to their local economy. We are now in discussion with other colleges across the UK to reach even more budding entrepreneurs.”
Stephen Davis, Group Principal of the United Colleges Group, said:
“The United Colleges Group is delighted to be a founding member of Visionnaires.
“Our college community is full of smart, ambitious, and highly talented individuals who have bright futures ahead of them and Visionnaires will doubtlessly help them take the next step in their careers.
“My colleagues and I look forward immensely to playing a full role in this programme and to seeing the positive impact that it will have.”
Find out more about Visionnaires at www.visionnaires.ac.uk
*References for figures.
“My experience at College of Northwest London, has been exciting, it has been thrilling and it has been full of opportunities, and we have the tutors that help us whenever we’re in need. We go on educational trips to get a feel for what university life is like. We have the careers advisors that help us on our path, our university path.”
“The facilities here are brilliant. You have range of courses you can study. My teachers in the Performing Arts department have got history in the industry, which is very useful. You get to ask them for advice and actual knowledge from the industry, and take that into your own work within the college also afterwards. ”
“At City of Westminster College, my experience has been the best of all the other colleges I’ve attended. The reason I like CWC is because the teachers make my journey easier with assessment and exams. I’m a Level Two Science student and I enjoy my lessons because most of them are practical, which are helpful for me. I love studying at CWC because you meet people from other countries – all over the world and from all different communities.”
“My favourite thing about studying here has definitely got to be the teachers. They’re really helpful, kind and in the industry, so it’s good.”
“The technical knowledge and hands-on experience gained during my apprenticeship at College of North West London have been invaluable, particularly in understanding site processes, health and safety requirements and the understanding of electrical systems.”
“My experience studying at City of Westminster College has been amazing. It’s been so welcoming; I enjoy it very much because of the staff members we have here. They’re very approachable and I could come to them with any question, and it will be answered straight away. And if I come early for a class, I can use the Learning Resources Centre, I can use the computers, the books, just to continue all my studies outside the classroom time.”
“The training process was seamless. I had good instructors who were very flexible, supporting people of all learning levels. On the last day after our exams, a security company came and did a presentation. We had the opportunity to have an interview afterwards. I told them about my experiences, and they said I would be a good fit. I formally applied for a role and started with the company soon after. Getting into security has opened doors for me. I hope I will continue to take steps up the career ladder.”
“Coming to study at the City of Westminster College was the best decision that I had ever made. The teachers are very accommodating – they help you learn things in a way that might be easier for you to learn. They are very supportive and I think that’s one of the best things about learning here.”
“I was so grateful to have won Apprentice of the Year at the West London Business Awards 2026, I could not have done it without the support my company Size Group and the College of North West London.”
