News
Headteachers Satisfaction Survey 2008
Results gathered from Headteachers of Schools particpating in YEL programmes
At the end of the academic year 2007/08 Young Enterprise London undertook research into the views and perceptions about the quality of delivery and service that Young Enterprise London provide.
Questionnaires were sent out to headteachers of all secondary and Primary Schools within the London region to gage the reaction to the programmes run and how they benefitted the school.
The findings were summarised and can be viewed by downloading the attached.
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Headteachers Survey 2008 (21kb)
YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS CREATE A NEW DIMENSION
HSBC Young Enterprise Innovation Award Winners 2008
Dimension, a company set up by a group of A-level students, is proof that Britain’s youth, despite its poor image, has entrepreneurial drive in spades.
Students at the Fortrose Academy were given an opportunity, through Young Enterprise UK’s company programme, to set up and run a small business for eight months and they jumped at the chance. Little did they know that the decision would eventually lead them to London and Stockholm.
- Click on the link below to see the full article by Mark Barber on the TIMESONLINE website.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/entrepreneur/article4383142.ece
RAISING ASPIRATIONS
A business enterprise project in Tower Hamlets
Earlier this year, 78 young people from five schools in Tower Hamlets took part in a four day project which coached them on business enterprise and personal skills, culminating in a high adrenaline adventure sports day. Those who took part gained increased confidence and leadership skills and will hopefully be inspired to have higher aspirations for the future. The project also made progress in breaking down territorial boundaries between areas with a history of racial tension.
- Click on the link to download the full article
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Raising Aspirations (213kb)
EAST LONDON’S STUDENTS GET CREATIVE FOR THE OLYMPICS
10th July 2008
Thousands of school children across East London have been invited to take part in ‘Promote Your Part of London’, a creative competition taking place across the five host Olympic boroughs (Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Waltham Forest and Greenwich), and a Legacy 2020 venture in partnership with Oracle and Young Enterprise.
2,700 young people from 16 schools in East London have participated in the two-part scheme. The first round of the competition included a day’s training with Young Enterprise called ‘in Business with the Games’. The fourteen year olds were encouraged to decide what the upcoming Olympic Games would mean for their local area and communities; the participants then chose different creative ways of expressing their ideas.
After completing the first stage of the programme, the children were asked to promote their favourite aspects of East London online, communicating with their peers, both in the UK and abroad. The young people uploaded their creative ideas onto the internet, using the www.think.com community learning website.
- Kidbrooke present thier ideas
Each of the 5 finalist schools received a trophy, whilst the overall winner, ‘Cos We’re Cool Like That’ from Kidbrooke School, Greenwich, who design featured The Cutty Sark was treated to a trip to Holden Point in Newham for an opportunity to see the Olympic Park being built. Roy Howard from Young Enterprise said:
“From my point of view I thought that the event today was fantastic. I spoke to all of the teachers and students and got a resounding thumbs up about the project as a whole and the event today in particular.”
Judging the competition are Eileen Taylor of Deutsche Bank, Patsy Francis, UBS, Steve Lamb, Oracle and Peter Welton, London Legacy 2020.
Helena Yeaman, Youth and Sport Project Manager, London Legacy 2020 said: “It’s important for the young people of East London to feel engaged with their changing surroundings in the run-up to the Olympic Games in 2012. This competition allowed students to communicate their relationship with East London to their peers all over the world in a fun and unusual way. Millions of people will be visiting East London in the coming years and it’s great to be able to promote the area in conjunction with the young community who make it so vibrant”.
- Eileen Taylor, Deutsche Bank with Overall Winners - Kidbrooke School, Greenwich
The awards were as follows:
Internationalism Award - Swanlea School, Tower Hamlets
Creativity Award - Sarah Bonnell School, Newham
Technical Innovation Award - Haggerston School, Hackney
Best Presentation Award - St Bonaventures School, Newham
Overall Winner - Kidbrooke School, Greenwich
Gallery of Dreams:
Children in Need and Young Enterprise Refugee Gallery Project
A new initiative has been created by Young Enterprise and funded by Children in Need for young people in London. The project has the overall aim of helping refugee students in London integrate and form friendships in their schools whilst identifying areas of misunderstanding with local students through an enterprise and citizenship programme. Year 10 and 12 students from a variety of schools have been working on an innovative art-inspired project based on the Young Enterprise Masterclass Programmes which aims to help young people learn from skilled people who work in the world of business or creative arts.
- Click on the link below to see the whole article as a PDF file.
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Gallery of Dreams (81kb)
The Young Enterprise London Company of the Year final 2008
On June 19th Credit Suisse played host to the Young Enterprise London Company of the year final 2008. Five winning teams from the London region battled it out for the right to represent London at the national finals in July.
The 5 participating companies were:
Envisage, from Queen Elizabeth Boys School, North London Business Advisor: John Deverson
Zyxt, Sacred Heart, from Mary Girl’s School, East London
Business Advisor: Tracy Kane
Glow, from North London Collegiate School, West London
Business Advisor: Ian Ellis
Misdirection, from St Charles sixth form College, Central London
Business Advisor: Rhiannon Evans
Jammin’, made up of pupils from Cambridge Tutors College, Whitgift School, Old Palace School of John Whitgift, Streatham and Clapham High School, South London
Business Advisors: Ray Joosab & Suzanne Parsons
- Winners of 3 Awards: Zyxt
SPECIAL AWARDS
Gold Awards:
Hermann Hirschberger (West London Board)
Tony Tyrell (South London Board)
Business Advisor of the Year:
Cecilia Oram – Tiffin Girls (Estilo)
Best Company Programme Website:
Eclipse – Emanuel School
COMPANY PROGRAMME INNOVATION AWARDS
ICSA Award for Corporate Governance:
Zyxt – Sacred Heart of Mary Girls’ School
Best Report:
Zyxt – Sacred Heart of Mary Girls’ School
Best Display Stand:
Jammin’ – Cambridge Tutors College, Whitgift School, Old Palace School and Clapham & Streatham High School
Best Presentation:
Envisage – Queen Elizabeth Boys’ School
Best Overall Company:
Zyxt – Sacred Heart of Mary Girls’ School
- Levi Roots steals the show
The judging panel, chaired by Sean McMahon of the Learning and Skills Council, had a tough task deciding the eventual winners. The decision was based on an interview, business report including accounts, a company trade stand and finally a presentation from each company.
After listening to all of the presentations the judges had the unenviable task of retiring to decide who would go on to be crowned overall winner of the London Region for 2008. As the judging process continued guests and achievers were treated to an inspirational speech from Dragons Den victor and creator of ‘Reggae Reggae Sauce’ Levi Roots. He encouraged the achievers to continue to strive towards their goals and passed on advice and anecdotes about the world of business.
After an agonizing wait the winning company was announced as Zyxt form The Sacred Heart of Mary Girl’s School. Their product ‘Get Connected’, a parent’s guide to internet safety impressed all of the judges and had received a great deal of interest from other schools in their area. The former Mayor of Havering had high praise for the book and made the statement that ‘This book should be in every Primary School in Havering.’ Zyxt will be hoping to impress in the same way at the UK final held at the Park Lane hotel on July 16th 2008.
- Dan McGuire, Young Entrpepreneur of the Year and Managing Director of Broadbean Technology
A special mention must go to the MC Dan McGuire, Young Entrpepreneur of the Year and Managing Director of Broadbean Technology, for the excellent role he played in the smooth running of the event and for entertaining the guests throughout the evening.
Further praise must also go to the following judges who had the impossible task of picking just one winner from the excellent five finalists; Liston Alexander of The London Mint, Richard Davis of Credit Suisse, Chris Lenton of the ICSA, ‘H’ Patten of Koromanti Arts and Leroy Rosenior of BBC Radio 5Live and Sky Sports.
Young Enterprise London would like to extend special thanks to all who attended the event with a special mention to Credit Suisse for the excellent hospitality provided and wish Zyxt great success at the national finals.
Glow girls light up West London finals
On Thursday 15th June, six top school companies went head-to-head for the prize of representing West London at the prestigious London finals. One of these was Glow Enterprise, the brainchild of students at North London Collegiate School
There was stiff competition from companies boasting not just £1000+ profits and European trade experience, but unusual bamboo fibre sweat towels too. But Glow fought back with a combination of glow in the dark pyjamas, handmade cupcake cushions and glow sticks, and in the end, this was what impressed the judges most.
Glow’s marketing strategy helped them to top place, with a unique ‘Glow Cave’ drawing everyone’s attention. They made the most of their London associations with photos of their cupcake cushion on much-loved landmarks from a black taxi to Trafalgar Square.
Glow are now headed for the London Final on Wednesday 19th June. The winner of that event will represent London in a National Competition, with the chance of getting through to the European competition and a trip to Sweden!
The Glow girls will take it one step at a time for now, while their supporters will be hoping they leave the other London companies in the dark.
The Young Enterprise Team Programme Companies of the Year 2008
Supported by the John Laing Foundation -
building the workforce of the future…
On the 22nd May, 50 young people from across London prepared to compete for the title of Team Programme Company of the Year. The competition was fierce with a total of ten companies from across London participating. The students have been running their own company for the last year and have experienced the highs and lows of the world of business. Each of the companies have been through area heats to become the winner for North, South, East, West and Central.
The competing teams were:
XL Homeliving, Harris Academy, Peckham
RWP, St Philip’s School
Super Team, College of North East London
Celebrational, Olive Centre
Bensham Business, Bensham Manor School
Original!, Pield Heath School
Creative Crew, Newham Sixth Form College
Go Getters, Strathmore School
6 Cent, Linden Lodge
The event was held at Clifford Chance in Canary Wharf and was supported by the John Laing Foundation. Guest of Honour was Michael Hamilton of the John Laing Foundation and the guest speak was Henry Bosnu who has worked on BBC radio and TV programmes like Today, World at One, Public Eye, and Black Britain.
The day started with the teams setting up trade stands and meeting the judges before the event opened to the general public for presentations. After much deliberation by the judges, the two Company of the Year Awards went to XL Homeliving from Harris Academy Peckham in Central London and Original! from Pield Heath High School in West London.
XL Homeliving successfully set up a candle making business, recycling old candles donated by the local community. They set about learning the art of hand making candles, testing fragrances and finally coming up with a unique product to challenge the best candle makers in the UK. The Managing Director highlighted the huge learning points for his company stating the importance of getting your finances right.
Original! impressed the judges with their array of innovative products. The team set up a company making products to order, these included cards, key rings, bags and many more items. They designed their products around key events in the yearly calendar such as Christmas, Easter and St Partick’s Day. Original! set high standards for each of their company members and stressed the importance of good team work and communication.
Team Programme is specifically designed for young people who have difficulties with learning and/or have disabilities; it offers practical experience of running their own company, supported by their teacher and volunteer business advisers. In setting up and running their own company, students elect a board of directors from amongst their peers, raise share capital, and market and finance a product or service of their own choice. At the end of the year they present a report and accounts to their shareholders.
Customer & Saleforce.com Employee Volunteer Event for Dreamforce Europe 08
100 Kids from eight inner city schools in London were brought together in Central London for Young Enterprise London's Learn To Earn Programme. While the programme itself is tried and tested, the number of volunteers involved - 40 - and the spectacular location, at The Foreign Press Association, right next to Horseguard's Parade, made this a unique occasion.
The programme is designed to encourage the kids to think about the link between education and success. The location will probably have left a lasting impression on the students. This event was about the volunteers as well. Around 25 of the volunteers were Salesforce.com customers attending their first Dreamforce Europe '08, with the vision that more of Salesforce.com’s customers will also actively support and encourage employee volunteering.
The day was kicked off with an inspirational talk from Salesforce.com EMEA Chairman, Dr. Steve Garnett. He told his own story of how he achieved his goals in life, which clearly affected the kids and will undoubtedly remain in their minds as they make the biggest choices of their lives so far over the next few years.
This was followed by a series of activities showing that the longer the kids stay in education, the greater possibilities that are likely to be open to them as they proceed through life. With two volunteers sitting with every six students the attention they received would be far more than they were used to and gave the opportunity for the volunteers to pass on the benefits of their experiences.
The event was a success and a wonderful way to start Dreamforce Europe. Here are just a few of the comments we received from the volunteers....
'...a great opportunity for kids to think about their future'
' It is so important to listen and help guide the students in their future. Very Rewarding'
' it gave me a real sense of achievement to be able to give advice to young students'
' I enjoyed the speech by Dr Steve Garnett - Really motivated me'
SOUTH LONDON REGIONAL WINNERS
JAMMIN'
At the South London Finals for the Young Enterprise Company Programme, held in the Old Town Hall Croydon on the 9th May, "Jammin", emerged as overall winners, and will go on to represent South London at the Young Enterprise London Final on June 19th.
Jammin are hosted and advised by BT in Croydon, and consists of students from 4 different schools - Old Palace, Whitgift, Streatham & Clapham High and Cambridge Tutors.
After a number of false starts, the company hit on a successful formula -sourcing a quality product and selling it in an underserviced market. The product - a range of luxury jams and preserves, was bought direct from the wholesaler, Dart Valley Foods, and sold in to the senior living market. Initially invited to set up a stall at one Sunrise home, this expanded to three.. Never ones to miss a sales opportunity, the team also attended Young Enterprise Trade Fairs, school fairs and town markets, before achieving a milestone in Croydon Young Enterprise - securing retail premises in the prestigious Whitgift Centre, one of South-East England's leading shopping centres.
With a turnover in the thousands, and net profit running at an enviable 23%, the students have certainly learnt the financial imperatives of the business world, but, as is intended, it's what they've learnt along the way that's really important. As these young entrepreneurs themselves have pointed out, the real gain has been in their understanding the importance of leadership skills, teamwork, problem-solving and effective communication - invaluable experience for their future careers
Smart card trick lands schoolboys in business final
Young enterprise team pitch idea to bosses
By Henry Ellis
A TEAM of schoolboy entrepreneurs is set to represent north London in the regional finals of a young enterprise competition.
Led by 15-year-old student Jed Wilsher, the team from Queen Elizabeth Boys’School in Queen’s Road, Barnet, have already seen off competition from more than 50 schools for their business idea.
Jed and his classmates have come up with a restaurant loyalty card scheme that is already proving a hit with diners, despite his team being two years younger than most of those who have entered the early stages of a pan-European competition aimed at finding the business brains of the future.
Their company, Invision, was launched at the start of the year after they persuaded local eateries to sign up and they have already sold 200 cards.
- High hopes: Sergio Ronchetti, Invision’s deputy manager, with the group and their award for qualifying
They pitched their idea to 130 business magnates who judged the north London leg of the competition last month and have since been researching ways to expand the company ahead of the London finals on June 19.
Jed told The Press: “We were lucky to have people in the team who do not have a problem with talking in public and they gave a good pitch, which helped us. We won several individual categories and then were named overall winner. It was a lot of fun and I think a lot of us are now considering getting into business when we leave school.
“Hopefully we can go on to take our idea to the European finals, but that’s still a long way off yet.”
Economics and business studies teacher Vickash Seeburrun is proud of what his boys have achieved. He said: “It has been a really good year and now they are looking to see if they can extend the card scheme to include hairdressers and other service sectors. I am really proud of them – I think it has been an excellent learning curve for them and they are competing against much older students.”
Enfield Advertiser and Gazette
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Central London Innovation Awards 2008 (286kb)
Inner City Young Entrepreneurs Competition 19th March 2008
Ten finalists competed for the Young Enterprise London’s title of overall ‘Inner City Young Entrepreneurs 2008’ at a prestigious event on 19th March at The Foreign Press Association.
The competition is part of a unique partnership between Young Enterprise London, the London Chamber of Commerce and the Industry Commercial Education Trust and has been developed to raise awareness and promote the entrepreneurial skills of in inner city young people in London through participation in Young Enterprise London’s Company Programme. The competition is also supported by the Learning and Skills Council as part of the 2011 World Skills London Strategy.
The event was attended by Ed Balls, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families. In his address to the guests he highlighted the importance of enterprise skills in today’s youth in order to develop the economic prosperity of the UK.
THE COMPETITION FINALISTS WERE:
Y.A.H – Warren Comprehensive School
Whisper – Plumstead Manor School
Urban Fantasy – Swanlea Business & Enterprise School
Dinero – Raines Foundation School
G – Queens Park School
Pen-A-Case – Capital City Academy
Charmed – Featherstone School
FEENIX – Bishopshalt School
Celebrational Variety Cards – The Olive Centre
Skyline Production – London Academy
Each finalist set up a stand displaying their products and showcasing the highs and lows of their year in business. A panel of judges then asked them a series of questions using the format of the popular TV programme ‘Dragons Den’.
The prestigious panel of judges were:
Ian Hughes - Director, Enterprise Education Department for Children Schools & Families
Iain Patton - Director /Founder Satellite Marketing / Green Awards
John Willis - Senior Director Deutsche Bank
Allison Ogden - Newton CEO Social Enterprise London
Donald King - Head of Young Peoples London South LSC
Learning
Chika Emelle - Managing Director Bratz R Us (last year’s winning company)
The judges had a very difficult time deciding on the award winners and after much deliberation, the Green Award was presented to ‘Whisper’ from Plumstead Manor School, who designed and produced sustainable calendars.
The Marketing Award was presented to ‘Dinero’ from Raines Foundation School who impressed the judges with their marketing of their handmade jewellery, personalised gifts and footwear.
Finally, the Innovation Award and Overall Young Entrepreneurs Award 2008 were presented to ‘G’ from Queens Park Community School who selected a naturally grown, biodegradable and sustainable fabric made from Bamboo for their product, a cross between a scarf and a towel for use in gyms, sports or in hair salons. A truly inspiring team!
2008 Young Enterprise London Volunteer Celebration 12th March 2008
House of Commons – Terrace Pavilions
- Kardelen Kaya and Lenos Konstantinou from Leytonstone Business & Enterprise School present the Team Challenge Award for 2008 to Team Allianz
The 2008 Young Enterprise London Volunteer Celebration event has been designed and developed to celebrate the efforts of volunteers who have participated in our programmes and to reward them with prizes and recognition. The award ceremony is also an opportunity to promote our various programmes to a wider corporate audience from the prestigious location of the House of Commons.
Master of Ceremonies for the awards was Sabiru Islam, past Company Achiever and author of “The World at Your Feet”. Guest speaker was Maria-Jose Subiela, coordinator of the international programme ‘Engage’, a business-led campaign that aims to increase the quality and extent of employee engagement in the development of healthy and sustainable communities.
Central to this event was the acknowledgement of the tremendous commitment of both individuals and corporate volunteers who have greatly contributed to the value of the YE London programme delivery through the volunteering of their time and resources, so essential to the core mission of YE London.
Hosted by Sidiq Khan, MP for Tooting, the celebration focused on Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) and was successful in showcasing values of Enterprise Education and the importance of employee engagement and links to the London community. The vast majority of attendees were practitioners in some of the most prestigious companies in London.
The award winners, consisting of established and new corporate supporters of the charity celebrated with five awards the achievements, contribution and work of volunteers.
JA-YE Europe Trade Fair 4th - 6th April 2008 An ideal way to brush up on skills and boost sales
The Junior Achievement -Young Enterprise Europe Trade Fair was an exciting and gratifying experience for 47 student companies from secondary schools across Europe, who had an unique opportunity to promote and sell their products and services at this prestigious event at the peak period of their business calendar.
375 young entrepreneurs from 17 European countries met in Linz, Austria to show off their ideas. The event was judged by representatives from the local business community with several prizes on offer.
Doug Norris from the London Regional Learning and Skills Council (LSC) was on the panel of judges. He said of his experience, “It was hard work, but most enjoyable. I think it’s good to do something like this every year, as it gives a real showcase opportunity to a large number of ‘businesses’ that may not make it to the company competition final.”
Best Overall Company went to YouVisit.it from Italy for their tourism website providing personalized itineraries.
Overall Winner went to MessLess from Swizterland for their special holders for mobile phones.
Best Trade Fair Display Stand went to Flexcup from Swizterland for their innovative folding drinking cup.
Most Innovative Product went to TechSisca from Denmark who created a finger touch system with rotating numbers for keyboards/screens in cash dispensers.
Best Sales/Marketing Techniques went to SaJ from Austria for their meticulously prepared Soap and Jewellery
A special prize from JA-YE Europe for the Best Team Spirit went to Gone With the Wind (Artistic Creations) from Latvia.
Caroline Jenner, CEO of JA-YE Europe commented, “The trade fair is a fantastic learning experience. Students have to plan ahead and ensure they have booked their place and made suitable travel arrangements. They have to estimate stock levels required and organise the production process to be able to meet demand. They also need to decide how to present and promote their company to an international audience”.
Enterprising Business Day at Croydon High School 19th March 2008
On Wednesday 19th March, Year 11 took a day out to participate in an Enterprise Day led by Jonathan Bates of Young Enterprise. The girls arrived for "work", dressed to impress and were overwhelmed by the effect this power-dressing had on their confidence, which lasted the whole day.
Entitled "In Business With The Games," the day was based on opportunities provided by the 2012 Olympics. The girls rose admirably to all the challenges set, entering our own "Dragon's Den" with pitches for developments such as a model stadium for children (based on Lego) and songs to advertise a game aimed to encourage healthy eating.
At the end of the day final awards were given to the girls with the best overall ideas. The winning ideas were a revolving international restaurant and the Supermarket Dash Game with the slogan "Which aisle are you on?"
We were hugely impressed by the enterprise, teamwork, quality of production and involvement of all the girls and were entertained with singing, acting and sport during the proceedings. We are sure that the girls have all gained a lasting impression of the World of Business Enterprise.
Creative Industries Masterclass at the Arts Institute Bournemouth 24th January 2008
In January, 43 students from Newham, Barking and Dagenham took part in a Creative Industries Masterclass at the Arts Institute at Bournemouth (A.I.B.). Many of these students had never visited Bournemouth and or travelled outside their local town. The project was organised in collaboration with Deano Pickering, Widening Participation at the A.I.B and Amal Ali, Development Manager, East Region from Young Enterprise London (YEL).
Five student ambassadors were on hand to answer questions about the creative qualifications available and to address any concerns about pursuing higher education, in particular the costs of completing a degree and the option of studying outside their local area.
The students heard from Mat Desmier, manager of the Enterprise Pavilion at A.I.B. and Film Lecturer Jim Carew who offered advice on securing a place at the film school. Mat and Jim spoke about their own educational background, their portfolio of students who have achieved success and the growth of the film industry.
The visitors were taken on a tour of the studios at the A.I.B. and had a chance to chat with current students about their studies. Subsequently, many of the visiting students confirmed that they would pursue careers in the creative sector and agreed the experience had been beneficial.
Many of these students will have the chance to take part in other Young Enterprise Programmes such as the Company Programme, whereby students set up and run their own company and take part in competitions against other schools across London. These young entrepreneurs will have a chance to compete in the prestigious national Young Enterprise Innovation Awards this year.
These and many other Young Enterprise Programmes will continue to be offered to students to enable more young people to gain the qualifications and skills to succeed in business and secure available job opportunities during and beyond the 2012 London Olympics.
For further information contact: Amal Ali, Development Manager – Newham, Barking and Dagenham.
Tel: 07814523544
email: amala@yelondon.com
