Pugata Jewellery Teams up with Batley Multi Academy Trust to find Batley’s Apprentice
19 Mar 2025
An initiative that gives a unique insight into the competitive world of Jewellery design is coming to the Batley Multi Academy Trust with entrepreneur Zak Patel at the helm.
Zak, a successful entrepreneur who heads up the Pugata Jewellery brand, has agreed to guide 3 teams from Upper Batley High School, Batley Girls and Batley Grammar, who will carry out assignments and projects in order to craft, design and market a piece of wedding Jewellery. The one team who proves their worth and capability will see their design manufactured and then auctioned for charity.
The initiative will see the contenders tasked with social media, design, research and development tasks to test out their business acumen and entrepreneurial skills, as they vie for his approval, and the knowledge that they potentially have what it takes to make it in the world of business.
Zak said,
“My philosophy has always been to work hard, be honest, be frank, be credible and always learn from your mistakes.
"I am delighted to be working with Sam Vickers, the team of schools at the Batley Multi Academy Trust, and the students; it sits perfectly with my long-held belief in the importance of promoting enterprise. It is a great platform as it enables us to give back to the community and help youngsters achieve their potential, offering the possibility of a better future to children whilst also encouraging inclusivity.
“Batley is a fantastic place with great people, and we are proud of where we do business. There is a great deal of synergy between ourselves and the team at Batley Multi Academy Trust. We look forward to welcoming students from Upper Batley High School, Batley Girls High School and Batley Grammar School into our showroom.
“A number of our staff members are ex-pupils at Upper Batley High School. They have had the pleasure of visiting their old school and will no doubt showcase a great deal of competitiveness whilst also offering young learners the chance to make something special, potentially inspiring them.”
Sam Vickers, CEO of the Batley Multi Academy Trust, added,
"The project is a breath-taking and original way of using the power of enterprise to young learners whilst teaching them industry-level skills from a very sought-after entrepreneur and business leader.
"This is a series that will test entrepreneurial skills and reward the winning team with the manufacture and production of a piece of jewellery that they have designed, at the same time acknowledging that hard work, budgeting, working as part of a team, research and development are skills that are required to get ahead in business."
Zak and his team, along with Sam, members of the Batley Multi Academy Trust and a number of special guests (to be announced) will be invited to judge the submissions and pick a winning team during the special Pugata Batley Fashion week.
Zak, a "Local boy made good", has worked hard to get where he is today. He has long been a major champion of promoting enterprise in the UK.
Brought up in Dewsbury, Zak founded Pugata Jewellery, which has been declared as the “most Instagrammable” brand in the UK by Social media sensation Abdu Rozik.
Pugata has previously hosted British fashion icon Dame Zandra Rhodes, known for her illustrious client list from the late Princess Diana, Freddie Mercury, Jackie Onassis and Zsa Zsa Gabor to fashionistas Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Kylie Minogue.
Dame Zandra flew in from Shanghai to meet Mr Patel and his team at the company headquarters in Batley before she was taken to Kirklees College, where she delivered a question and answer session.
Other notable names to have visited the luxury Pugata showroom include DJ Tom Zanetti, Melanie Sykes and Danny Manlin.
The company has also been featured in Vogue and has worked with designers such as Bobby Abley and Bora Aksu, who specifically selected a number of products from the Pugata collection for models to wear at the London Fashion Show.
Pugata jewellery has also been worn at Buckingham Palace, where an Ambassador's wife was complimented on her choice of jewellery by HRH, the late Queen Elizabeth.
The name Pugata was derived from three elements of the periodic table, Silver, Gold and Platinum have been amalgamated into the Pugata name.
AU is the chemical symbol for Gold, AG is Silver and PT is for Platinum. Pugata is the anagram of these 6 letters.
Zak’s team scours the world and sources all its diamonds and gemstones from ethical sources.
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Source: Pugata Jewellery