Hampshire County Council is celebrating the successful completion of its Enterprise Education Programme: ‘Innovating for the Future’, which was delivered in schools across Hampshire.
Innovating for the Future encouraged school children to become the next generation of entrepreneurs by teaching them practical business techniques. These ranged from developing a product or service to creating business plans, carrying out market research, managing finances and marketing their products.
Twenty schools took part in the programme which included a range of enterprise activities. More than 3,000 students took part in Enterprise Days and ‘Dragons Den’ style challenges, with local business people on hand to provide inspiration and business advice, and 42 school companies were created through the Future Innovators element of the programme.
The culmination of the programme was a Future Innovators Trade Expo, where students got to show off what they had learnt and the products and services they had invented, from customised clothing to celebrity endorsed cookbooks, which were scrutinised by a panel of judges from local businesses.
Leader of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Roy Perry, said: “The whole programme has been a huge success by helping children and young people thrive and achieve their full potential by providing opportunities for all to develop the skills needed to play a full part in the future of Hampshire’s economic success. I’ve been hugely impressed by the quality of business ideas I have seen and the enthusiasm of the students who have so professionally presented their ideas.”
Innovating for the Future was run on behalf of Hampshire County Council by a consortium consisting of the Portsmouth and South East Hampshire Education Business Partnership (lead partner), Basingstoke Consortium, First Partnership and Solent EBP.
Cath Longhurst, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire Education Business Partnership, said: “It has been brilliant seeing how so many young people have learnt real skills about business that will help them in the future. There are some real entrepreneurs amongst these students, they have some great ideas and have shown tenacity and enthusiasm in getting this far. I would like to thank all the business people, who gave their time to mentor students, and Hampshire County Council, for giving us the opportunity to run this project.”
Hampshire County Council continues to make work related training a priority with the creation of 1,000 apprenticeships and traineeships over the next five years under the Hampshire Youth Investment Programme. The programme gives young people real work experience and an opportunity to gain vocational qualifications. Apprentices and trainees receive on and off the job training, with opportunities as diverse as mechanics, administration, rangers, and teaching assistants.