The final held on 18th May, celebrated the achievements of students who have set up and run a company over the academic year as part of the Young Enterprise Company Programme, supported nationally by HSBC UK.
Ten teams from the North West competed by submitting a company report, a formal interview and presenting to a large audience. The winning team, Peckish from Oldham Hulme Grammar School who created and sold children’s recipe cookbooks will go on to represent the North West at the Young Enterprise UK Company of the Year final on 13th & 14th June and could potentially represent the UK in the JA European final.
Young Enterprise is a national charity which works to equip young people with the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to succeed in the changing world of work. Their vision is that every young person is given an equal opportunity to learn the vital skills needed to earn and look after their money, to develop an enterprising mindset and to make a valuable contribution to their communities and wider society.
This year, students across the country had set up companies over the academic year, making all the decisions about their business, from deciding the company name and product, to creating a business plan, managing their finances and selling their products – despite challenging conditions due to Covid-19.
Young Enterprise research shows programme participants develop key employability skills and in the two years following the programme, 94% are in education, employment or training [EET] – 5% higher than the national rate.
Sharon Davies, Chief Executive of Young Enterprise, said: “Reaching the Company Programme national final represents an inspirational journey with many months of hard work, teamwork, creativity and resilience. The experience and skills students have developed will stay with them for many years to come and will make a tangible difference to their futures. Students have shown particular resilience this year by continuing with their product development and sales despite school closures”
Every year Young Enterprise work with 315,000 young people, and support 8,450 teachers in both enterprise and financial education, with the help of more than 6,000 volunteers.
