All over Sutton 17 year olds are setting up their own businesses in schools. Budding entrepreneurs are working with teachers and business mentors in schools and colleges in the local area through a company programme scheme run by Young Enterprise, a global charity. This aims at improving the business and entrepreneurial skills of students by our ' learning by doing 'motto.
This year we have enrolled achievers at Carshalton Girls, Cheam High, Greenshaw, Nonsuch High, Sutton Grammar, Sutton High, Wallington High, Wallington County together with Eagle House students. Our "achievers" will be nominating directors, selling shares and setting about researching and financing a product which they think will fill a gap in the market and members from the business community in Sutton are helping them work through the complexities of budgeting and sourcing materials, and them marketing their products for Christmas.
Many schools have already undergone a 'Dragons Den scenario to choose which students to put forward to the scheme.
Now here is where you can really make a difference.
The Young Enterprise local Area Board is constantly on the lookout for suitable and willing business people to contribute to this worthwhile mentoring of the next generation of Sutton businesses. The achievers need gentle guidance from experts who have already found the pitfalls of running a business themselves.. "if you do this you might find yourself.... Is this where you really want to go?" are examples of the type of advice needed.
For the companies who do mentor, there is, maybe, an added bonus, of helping to develop your own employees in the importance of communication skills and teamwork by getting them involved here as part of their management training. Their leadership skills may well be further developed by helping guide our young people.
Check out the website: www.young-enterprise.org. or contact the Board through The Best of Sutton at Sutton@thebestof.co.uk .
October 2012
