Young Enterprise UK

I met with Bracey Parish from Young Enterprise and Paul Jaggers from HSBC. From their web site:

"Young Enterprise is building a connected world of young people, business volunteers and educators, inspiring each other to succeed through enterprise. Each year, our business volunteers inspire over 250,000 young people aged 4 to 25 years. Our programmes empower the next generation with the confidence, ability and ambition to succeed in a rapidly changing global economy.

With the support of more than 3,500 businesses and over 5,000 schools, colleges, universities and local communities, we are the UK’s leading enterprise education charity."

I really enjoyed discussing the many programs that are run through Young Enterprise which mostly cover school aged children but do extend beyond that. I took particular interest in their company program aimed at the equivalent of our Year 11 and 12 students (16-18 years old). Students set up and run a company over a year with the assistance of volunteer business advisors. A local open air market allows students to use a large area to sell their wares which along with a company report and presentation make up the judging requirements.

If the above sounds a little familiar it is similar to Young Achievement Australia which was was axed in 2009. I asked Bracey about their funding model and was surprised to learn that they also lost a large proportion of their public funding about a year ago i.e. from (Government funded) Learning Skills Council and latterly from local authorities (councils). Corporate sponsorship saved the program but it was not an easy task. Paul from HSBC was clearly a huge supporter of the program and told me about their contribution to Young Enterprise including cash, use of rooms and staff involvement. Staff volunteer time on judging panels as well as mentoring of students which he says is great for staff morale and development. Paul also went out of his way to set up a number of other meetings for me and I really appreciate his assistance.

These kinds of programs really show young people that business is a viable choice for their future, one where they can make a go of things for themselves as well as create employment opportunities for others. The number and scope of programs that Young Enterprise provide are impressive and really contribute to youth education across the UK. Thanks to Bracey and Paul for their time.