Help to inspire youth

Dec 3 2008 by Sue Scott, Evening Gazette

TEESSIDE employers are being encouraged to give up just one day to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.

The Young Enterprise North East (YENE) One Day campaign says one day is all it takes to make a difference to a young person’s life by bringing real business people into their classrooms.

YENE is one of the region’s longest established enterprise education providers for young people aged from four to post university age. The charitable organisation relies on business volunteers to deliver its enterprise education programmes.

Chief executive of YENE Catherine Marchant said: “We promote an entrepreneurial culture from a young age to address the fact that the North-east’s level of business start-ups is continuing to lag behind the rest of the country.

“The business volunteers encourage and inspire young people to consider enterprise and starting their own company as a viable and exciting career option. Our ultimate aim is to see schools and businesses working together to promote an enterprising future.”

Dean Jeffries, 18, from Catcote School in Hartlepool has blossomed academically since undergoing the YENE Team Programme, which is an educational enterprise programme for people aged 15 to 19 with learning difficulties.

Armed with the tailor-made Team Programme business kit incorporating cartoons, video case studies and specially designed software that allows individual students to work at different ability levels, students take responsibility for the management, production, sales, marketing and financial roles of running their own real company.

Dean’s business mentor was Dave Spensley, managing director of Aycliffe Fabrications, who has given Dean the confidence to realise he can one day set up his own enterprise.

Dean took on the role of sales director within his group and despite his learning difficulties he went on to win the Sir John Moore’s award at the YENE Regional Final earlier this year.

Dean’s link teacher Alison Brown said: “Since Dean has been running the Young Enterprise Team programme he has developed in maturity and acquired good business skills and knowledge.

“The lessons that he has been given by Dave have helped him to progress academically in his maths and English lessons as he learns all the skills that are needed in business.”

Dean also won his team a place on the “space to think” programme sponsored by North-east architecture and management company, _Space.

After the programme he won a prize for ‘the most promising business person’ for his natural sales technique.

Dean thrived so much in this programme that the chief executive of _Space has asked Dean if he would like to have a day’s work experience running the staff café at the Spaceworks head office in Gosforth.

Meanwhile, the organisation behind the Just One Day campaign has called on businesses not to abandon their work with young people as the recession deepens.

Catherine Marchant said it cost a company just £25 to give a young person a feel for enterprise while also being a low-cost way to enhance staff training.

YENE volunteers released by employers to coach young people hone skills in presentation, mentoring, team work and problem solving, as well as in depth business planning and strategy, she said.

“Our volunteers give us feedback on how beneficial working with young people on our programmes has been for their own development. We are hoping that as corporate social responsibility budgets are cut that we can still encourage local businesses to support YENE.”