STUDENTS BAG THEMSELVES ENTERPRISE TRADING AWARDS

Students from John Spence Community High School in Tyne and Wear scooped the Overall Winner Award with their company ‘Cookii Doh.

NEWCASTLE students swept the board at the annual Young Enterprise North East (YENE) Trade Fair, where they were awarded by the standard of their business ideas and selling skills.

A record 44 student companies, who have set up their own businesses as part of their Young Enterprise programme set out their stalls at the Metro Centre last weekend to compete in the seven award categories.

The young tycoons all took part in the Young Enterprise Company, Team (special needs) or Graduate programmes, which saw them set up a real trading company, sell their innovative products to the public and learn all about business in the process.

Students from John Spence Community High School in Tyne and Wear scooped the Overall Winner Award with their company ‘Cookii Doh, which designs and prints bespoke t-shirts and badges.

Newcastle University graduates won the Best Graduate Programme category with their business ‘Queen Bee Candles’, - an eco friendly candle making company that also raises money to 'save the bees'.

The Most Creative Company award went to students from Newcastle College who set up ‘Button your Face’ - a company that designs and prints coloured textiles that cover buttons and turns them into jewellery. Students from Newcastle Church High School won the Best use of Sales and Marketing award for their promotion of their business ‘Bright Life Books’.

Northumbria University students won the Best Trade Stand category, ‘Wooden Spoon’ set out their stall with a student cookbook, which includes recipes that take a twist on classic student meals.

Students from Oakleigh Gardens school in Cleadon, South Tyneside scooped the Best Team Programme’ Award with their company, ‘Del Boy Enterprises’, which produces handmade fridge magnets, jewellery, bookmarks and tea lights all for just £1.00.

Taking an award for south of the Tyne was students from Prior Pursglove College in Guisborough, who won the Best Product award for their business ‘Elftopia’, which has designed a children's game to encourage healthy eating and lifestyle.

The companies were judged on their business models on the day by members of the local business community including, ONE North East’s Enterprise Specialist Adviser Angela Craggs, Kristina Henry from the Home Group and Peter Wagstaff at Coutts banking.

Speaking of the event, chief executive of Young Enterprise North East Catherine Marchant said: “The Young Enterprise Trade Fair is always a day I always look forward to. It is just lovely to see the student’s businesses come to life and see how their entrepreneurial spirit really does shine when they leave the classroom and sell to the public in a real shopping mall.

“All of the students were great contenders and it was a real achievement for them to make it to the Trade Fair to learn about selling in a real trading world.

“Overall the judges were impressed with the high standard achieved from all schools and colleges involved and we want to again thank everyone involved for the support Young Enterprise has received from local schools and businesses.”

Judge Angela Craggs said: “The Young Enterprise North East Trade Fair at the Metro Centre was a great day and all of the young people were truly inspirational.”

BUSINESS CHIEFS URGED TO JOIN ENTERPRISE 2020 VISION

Students from Richardson Dees Primary School in Wallsend launched the Young Enterprise North East 2020 Vision campaign. (Left to right) Back row: YENE chief executive Catherine Marchant. Middle row: Carrie Donley, Zoe Tucker, Tabbitha Garratt. Bottom row: Ben Edgar and Ife Akinropo.

STUDENTS from across the region have helped employers to ‘see clearly,’ by launching Young Enterprise North East’s (YENE) new ‘2020 Vision’ appeal donning giant sunglasses in the shape of ‘2020’.

The 2020 Vision is YENE’s latest call-to-action that aims to gain longer-term commitment from the business and education audience, which will offer the charity more sustainability as it now looks beyond the recession.

Students from Richardson Dees Primary School in Wallsend launched the campaign alongside YENE’s chief executive Catherine Marchant by wearing 2020 glasses. All students from the school have participated in some kind of Young Enterprise activity.

YENE chief executive Catherine Marchant said: “As the region looks beyond the recession, it is the next decade that will shape our economic success – innovation entrepreneurship and leadership will need to be at the forefront of business activity over the next 10 years. But our future leaders in the next 10 years are at school right now.

“As the region’s longest standing enterprise education provider, we now need to reach the education, business and youth audiences to inspire them to work together to be a stronger region by 2020 and we all need to see clearly the benefits of working together, which we will set out to show.”

YENE is now seeking to forge long-term relationships between businesses and schools working together to ensure a strong and thriving local economy in ten year’s time.

YENE hopes that the campaign will equip young people that are still at school now to have enterprising attitudes and work based skills for when they leave education and enter the working world within the next decade.

“By longer term business commitment we mean anything from implementing YENE volunteering programmes into a CSR plan, designating us as a chosen charity for the next 10 years or actually adopting a local school in your area – the benefits are massive, as these young people are indeed future workforces,” Catherine added.

As well as encouraging businesses to see why enterprise in schools is vital to the future of their business, the campaign aims to encourage more schools and teachers in the region to run YENE’s range of enterprise education programmes, and it will highlight to young people that enterprise is a cool and exciting career option.

Representatives from the business community that have already showed their long-term support to the cause include Procter and Gamble, which has supported YENE for 15 years, Dickinson Dees who has provided volunteers for the last six years and Accenture, who has just received the ‘Extreme Partner Award’ by Junior Achievement, the worldwide movement of which Young Enterprise is a member nation.

Regional Development Agency One NorthEast is supporting the campaign. Head of Business, Enterprise and Skills, Tim Pain said: “We share many of the priorities identified by Young Enterprise North East and are fully behind this vision.

“Inspiring the innovators and entrepreneurs of tomorrow, and providing conditions in which they can thrive, will create the new businesses and new jobs that will help our regional economy grow in a way that is both dynamic and sustainable.”

CBI North East regional director Sarah Green said: “Now more than ever is a critical time for young people to become involved in business. The CBI is working constantly to forge stronger links between business, schools, colleges and universities, and we recognise the need to nurture the commercial potential shown by our school and university leavers. By encouraging the development of talent and offering support and guidance, Young Enterprise North East is providing a springboard for the schoolchildren of today to become the business leaders of tomorrow.

The 2020 Vision programme will be of fundamental importance in stimulating interest in business among our young people, and in doing so, will help shape the economic success of our region in the years to come.”

For more information on Young Enterprise North East and its 2020 Vision visit: www.young-enterprise.org.uk.

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