Budding entrepreneurs will tomorrow meet businessman Levi Roots - two days after undergoing their own Dragon's Den style grilling.

Nine unemployed young people spent the last three weeks honing their business skills as part of a Learning and Skills Council initiative to encourage teenagers into jobs or further education.

Yesterday the group pitched their ideas to four local business experts in the style of the BBC's Dragon's Den TV programme.

Tomorrow, the final day of the project, they will travel to a business conference in London to meet Mr Roots, whose own appearance on the BBC show led to his product Reggae Reggae Sauce being stocked in supermarkets.

The group, which included teenagers expelled from school and girls who had children at a young age, will discuss their work with the project run by youth workers in Blackbird Leys. As part of the project the three groups pitched their ideas to Oxford's very own dragons - Martin Forde, owner of the Baby Simple bar in Cowley Road, Gillian Elliott, a youth worker on the estate, Paul Griffiths of Business Link and Paul Robinson, an administrator for the Ethnic Minority Business Service in Cowley Road.

Diana Edwards, 19, and Nordia Simpson, 18, pitched their idea for a mobile phone which contained a rape alarm, make up kit and a printer for producing photos.

Diana, from Spruce Gardens, Greater Leys, said: "It was good but I was nervous. I think they liked our idea.

"The project has given me some good experience and it's better than sitting at home doing nothing."

Layla Stewart, 19, Kyran Ednead, 16, and Lacrista Edwards, 18, created a logo for their own clothing line CoolKids. The trio said they wanted to create affordable designer clothes for children aged up to seven.

Kyran, from Mayfair Road, Cowley, said: "It could have gone better - I was a bit nervous. I could have spoken up more but it has been fun."

The panel decided an idea conceived by Carlos Spencer, 16, Sanchez Romeo, 18, and Angel Mbak, 16, was the best of the three.

The group suggested making use of recording studios in the community centre to provide training for the local community.

Sanchez, from Moorbank, Blackbird Leys, said: "It was hard at the beginning, but when I realised everyone was human I just said what I had to say. The project has been fantastic."

The group won £50 each and will now approach The Prince's Trust to apply for funding and find out how best to develop their idea.