Teenagers have been told that they do not need to go to university to succeed in business.

Oxfordshire entrepreneurs and business leaders told 170 sixth-form Students at an event held at Didcot Girls' School that taking a business degree was not the only way to become a successful entrepreneur.

Students from the joint Didcot Sixth Forms were joined by students from Wallingford and Reading for the Enterprise and Entrepreneurship day. They took part in a range of activities involving working in teams and solving problems, as well as demonstrating their leadership qualities.

David Cheetham, a business teacher at the girls' school, said: "Among the highlights was a session on the importance of body language, when students studied the behaviour of other students and reported on their observations."

Mr Cheetham, who co-ordinates the school's links with business and industry, said: "Speakers and business representatives tried to show what qualities are needed to become an entrepreneur, and that it does not always mean going to university." Staff from Business Boffins, based at Little Milton, helped with the workshops, and the South Oxfordshire Business Partnership presented sessions on enterprise start-ups and business opportunities.

Didcot Girls' School, which has the largest business department of any state school in Oxfordshire, launched the annual business day four years ago. This was the first year other sixth forms took part.