A great opportunity for young people to gain enterprise skills
Source: Liverpool Daily Post - Alex Turner
Political attention in the education sector has been focused recently on the merits of the English baccalaureate versus the modern baccalaureate.
This is often over-simplified to a choice between academic subjects or vocational subjects – which forgets, of course, that some of the most prized degree courses are vocational, such as law and medicine.
But, regardless of the measurement used, there is wide agreement on the essential role of schools in helping to develop students’ character, confidence and ability to lead independent lives.
This week, the Great Enterprise Challenge was launched, in which Liverpool City Council and its partners are helping to achieve this.
The challenge offers all 170 primary and secondary schools in Liverpool the chance to apply to set up an entrepreneurial project with a start-up fund of £100.
As the challenge progresses, the best schools will be given more funding to develop their ideas, and in January the final 10 schools will be assigned business mentors and given more investment to develop a business plan to pitch to investors at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC).
The GEC is being hosted in Liverpool next March, and, while the event has the potential to promote Liverpool and promote entrepreneurship in a number of different ways, it is the involvement of schools that could produce the most long-term benefit.
At the launch, Cllr Gary Millar was keen to stress that entrepreneurial activity isn’t limited to creating a for-profit business, but he believes it is also about being innovative and imaginative in changing your surroundings in a sustainable way. I’m convinced it’s an exciting programme, which is why we have got involved by providing a prize for the five finalists of the secondary school competition – a one-day Keep the Cash! simulation. Just as getting a grip on the core skills of enterprise will be key for those students involved in the challenge, they will all benefit from understanding the fundamentals of managing their own money.
Developing those skills will be crucial for all our young adults, while those students involved in the challenge will get great experience in enterprise, as well as skills about teamwork, managing their time, prioritising tasks and others.
[Image: Cllr Gary Millar is photographed handing cash to Young Lord Mayor Mollie Christopher at launch of entrepreneur scheme]
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