Pupils make grade in business

May 15 2008 by Peter McCusker, The Journal

More than 170,000 North East pupils have passed through a programme which is helping to create the entrepreneurs of the future. Peter McCusker reports on the work of Young Enterprise North East.

ESTABLISHED by volunteers in 1975, Young Enterprise North East (Yene) has blossomed into an organisation that takes the entrepreneurial message to 20,000 school and college students every year.

It works with almost all the region’s blue chip companies as well as many smaller businesses, has worked with almost all the region’s schools, has an annual turnover of £550,000 and employs 12 full-time staff.

Catherine Marchant was seconded from the Department of Work and Pensions to work with the organisation in 1996 and is now its chief executive.

She said: “The success of Young Enterprise North East’s programmes relies on the huge network of business volunteers who take time out to support the region’s young people.

“By supporting Yene, companies are not only investing in the young people of today, they are also investing in the region’s businesses of tomorrow.

“As well as creating a more enterprising workforce, many young people who take part in a Yene programme during education take the skills they have learnt and turn these into businesses, which are essential to the future of the North East economy.”

The Young Enterprise message was imported from the United States in 1963 by London businessman Walter Salomon and made its way to the North East in 1975 with the backing of Newcastle engineering firm NEI Parsons. It is now viewed as a key factor in encouraging an entrepreneurial message in the North East and its major financial backer is One NorthEast.

Its head of business, enterprise and skills Tim Pain said: “Yene is playing an important role in the drive to increase the entrepreneurial culture of North East England, particularly because of its focus on young people from an early age, right through the education system.

“The region is aiming to create at least 20,000 new businesses by 2016 and young people will be key to ensuring that this growth continues beyond that date.

“One NorthEast is very pleased to be supporting YENE on projects such as the ‘One Day’ campaign, because there’s no better way for young people to develop their enterprise skills than by meeting real-life entrepreneurs, spending time in a business environment and seeing how ideas grow into a new product or service.”

Yene works in primary schools and one of its main schemes is giving secondary school pupils the opportunity to establish and run a profit-making company.

Each year it runs a competition for the best of these businesses and this is now down to the final four with the winner being announced at an awards evening next month.

The four finalists are: Voila! at Central Newcastle High School, Educrate from Newcastle Church High School, Languages from The English Martyrs School & Sixth Form College, Hartlepool, and Way2Go Events, Carmel RC College, Darlington.

All the finalists say the Yene programme has been invaluable in giving them an insight into the world of business.

Voila! has been set up by 13 A-level business students and taps into the hospitality market by offering services such as table setting, food and drink serving and washing up.

The business has already attracted the attention of a number of companies in catering, including Newcastle’s Fresh Element, and was extremely busy hosting private parties at Christmas. Voila! communications manager Alice Brown said: “We looked at the catering industry and found that there were not many companies that were providing waitressing services exclusively and realised it was something that could be of value, not just for Christmas but throughout the year.”

Ms Marchant said: “Yene benefits the businesses involved, the participating staff, the schools and the schoolchildren.”

For businesses the scheme broadens business and management skills, in particular communication, interpersonal and team working.

It can demonstrate to a company’s stakeholders and shareholders a contribution to the community, highlighting an organisation’s commitment to corporate social responsibility.

And it demonstrates commitment to the future of the North East economy by encouraging the development of an entrepreneurial mindset among the region’s young people.

Ms Marchant said: “We are grateful for the support of many businesses throughout the region who have worked with us on several different projects. …

“Without their support the delivery of our programmes to young people would have been impossible.”

First to volunteer is a dragon

ARCHITECTURE and management firm _space has become the first business to sign up to Yene’s One Day appeal.

The One Day campaign urges employers in the region to give up one day of their resources to inspire young people.

Rob Charlton, CEO of _space, was the first business owner to pledge his support by launching a Dragons’ Den-style competition, called _space to think differently, through the company’s charitable foundation, which donates money and time to increase entrepreneurial thinking in local young people.

The programme gives an incentive to students to push their limits in their enterprise studies. The competition saw _space employees select five Yene student companies from the young exhibitors to join the programme.

It offered access to a real business environment, with mentoring from _space directors at workshops.

Mr Charlton said: “At our ‘_space to think differently’ competition final, the budding school-age entrepreneurs who we have been working with for the last month finally pitched their business ideas to a group of _space directors in a Dragons’ Den-style pitch.

“The four-week programme covers all aspects of running a business, as told by people at the sharp end, such as our own _space people and also suppliers ranging from web developers to bank managers, who covered financial planning, marketing, problem solving and teamwork and communication skills.”

The final of the _space to think differently competition was held at the Robert Stephenson Centre in Newcastle, Hirst High School in Ashington and Epinay School in Jarrow.

Yene chief executive Catherine Marchant said: “This campaign is simple and direct, any business small or large can be involved as they can pick and choose their level of commitment depending on their size.”