Young Enterprise Programme Information

Young Enterprise is a National Education charity founded in 1963 to forge links between schools and industry. Its mission is:-
To inspire young people to learn and succeed through enterprise.

Their vision is:
That all young people will have the opportunity to gain personal experience of how business works, understand the role it plays in providing employment and creating prosperity, and be inspired to improve their own prospects, and the competitiveness of the UK.

The experience offered to Davison girls makes them aware of the key skills required to run a successful business. They need to write a workable Business Plan, be a team player, employ good communication skills, be forward thinking in relation to marketing, keep good up to date financial records - which balance and write Health and Safety guidelines for their product. They are able to carry these skills on to later life with College and University and/or directly to employment as Young Enterprise is well recognised as a course that develops a strong sense of purpose and entrepreneurial skills. It is encouraged to list this involvement on their College or Employer application. They also have the opportunity to sit a Level 2 exam run by OCR Examination Board to add to their portfolio of achievements.

As mentioned before running a company is not a game, but a live experience and it is the taking part and enjoying it that is important. Companies entering are not judged solely on profits, but how well students have grasped the principle of business and what they have personally learnt.

Feedback from previous participants has told us that they prefer to hear of the YE opportunity at the end of Year 9. So we launch the programme just before the long summer holiday. This gives them time to meet with friends and come up with ideas. We ask them to pitch their concept to a panel of judges early in the Year 10 academic year and 2 or 3 companies are chosen to participate. This is always an extremely difficult task and occasionally we may enter more. Companies comprise of a minimum of 6 members to a maximum of 25. We feel 6-10 members are the right balance.

Past Success>>