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Enterprise Clubs – Getting off the Ground
Sample Case Studies
June 2010

Ashfield School

The winners from the 2009 competition have been working hard to turn their idea into reality. Putting in the time both during and after school, the students have moved their initial idea on to a stage where production and sales are right on the horizon.

After winning the competition in November 2009, the group initially worked closely with LEO Business Advisor, John Leaver, who helped them to develop their concept. In the first few months they tried out different design ideas to see which versions and combinations of versions worked best. With John's assistance, they also began to pursue patenting their concept and have been in contact with a local businessman, Malcolm Owen, who has expressed a keen interest in helping them to make their design into a viable business.

Malcolm's company, Midland Regional Printers Ltd, specialises in print finishing and he has many contacts in the Food and Drinks industry: an industry into which the students wish to market their product. Malcolm has worked closely with the group and is helping them to obtain their patent. He has also made them aware of disclosure contracts and procedures to fully protect their idea before it hits the market.

 Malcolm's contacts have already stated their interest in the group's product and are very interested in getting it to market. This is an exciting proposition that the students are keen to follow up on once their patent is in place.

Regrettably, the student's trip to New York had to be re-arranged at the last minute due to the volcanic ash cloud, but they are very much looking forward to going in September.

Holgate School

The enterprise club at the Holgate School has taken some time to get under way but, after lots of hard work from the school, LEO Business Coach Paul Richardson, and Ben Lumley from no limits, it has finally started take off. Meeting once a week, the club has a small but faithful attendence who are working on various small enterprises.

The club was started before Easter 2010 to coincide with the launch of Make your Mark with a Tenner, an Enterprise Challenge organised by Enterprise UK. The students worked in 3 small groups to create mini enterprises to compete in the challenge. These included a Charity Uni-Cycle challenge, an Easter Egg raffle and a Car Washing Team. It was the last team that made the most money, washing every car they could find in the school's car park (including during a parents’ evening!) and raised a total of £60 profit from 2 weeks’ work. This team is now using their profit to finance other fund raising ideas to provide seed money for enterprise ideas in the club.

Since then, the winners from the school's 2010 challenge event have joined the club and are using the time and resources on offer to further develop their idea ready for the further stages of the enterprise challenge event programme. Their participation in the club has attracted more new members to its ever growing numbers.


Students receive support form a LEO Business Coach
 
Enterprise Hubs LEO is supporting the development Enterprise Hubs (Clubs) in the Enterprise Academy Schools.

Enterprise Hubs

Purpose:
The development of Enterprise Hubs will:
- engage students in enterprise activity as part of extended schools provision;
- help target specific support to young people who have ideas and are keen to start an enterprise (business or social enterprise);
- contribute to improving the interactions between local businesses and the schools;
- provide a vehicle for businesses and business support staff to mentor students and support the development of young peoples’ enterprise;
- provide a facility for small businesses to obtain services from students;
- facilitate a direct link between Schools and LEO business support activities.
- link enterprise activity in schools with other initiatives such as emda’s unleashing enterprise campaign.

Framework:

Target age group
Schools will decide which age group to engage in the Enterprise Club. The students involved in the enterprise challenge events may be a natural starting point for hubs.

Leadership and Organisation
 Support staff and / or teachers will organise and lead hubs taking responsibility for:
- arranging timing, venue, resources such as access to PCs, equipped4enterprise materials and templates;
- promotion with students; - liaison with LEO Business Advisors and Local Business mentors;
- coaching and advice for students;
- supporting students with administration, contacts, linking in with other school / community activities etc

Timing
After school
Lunch time
As part of School holiday programmes

In most schools hubs will take place after school but due to a high % of students catching school buses after school some schools may have hubs taking place at lunch time.

Start-up funding
There is currently no centrally allocated start-up funding but some schools are considering allocating a small pot of money to provide small amounts of start-up capital as loans to students who have a potentially viable ideas and business plans.

Support

no limits will provide the following support:

1. Provide a training workshop for staff leading enterprise hubs;
2. Provide a presentation and leaflet template for schools to promote the Enterprise Club with students;
3. Support the staff leading the Enterprise Club;
4. Lead a launch event in each school;
5. Provide 2 workshops over the course of the first year to develop young people’s business and enterprise skills;
6. Support materials to support students on the access no limits site;
7. Liaise with LEO and local businesses to engage mentors and coaches for the Enterprise Hubs.

LEO Business Advisors and Business coaches will act as mentors and coaches for students in the hubs.

As well as developing enterprise skills Enterprise Hubs will also help students develop their Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills:

• independent enquirers 
• creative thinkers 
• reflective learners 
• team workers 
• self-managers 
• effective participators. 

Enterprise Hubs can also help schools fulfill their commitment to engaging with the community.

For further information contact James Veness:

Email: james@nolimitseducation.co.uk

tel: 07974432160 


Challenge Events get off to great start!

This year's Enterprise Challenge Event programme has got off to a great start with several schools who have already had their in-school events. So far all the Year 9 students across the participating schools have come up with some fantastic ideas to answer the Challenge Brief and the judges have had a real difficult job identifying the various winners.

Lets hope the high standards set by first few schools is an indication of the level to expect from all the 19 schools involved.

The winning teams so far are;

From Meden School - Bio-write
Tibshelf School - Can you insert?
Garibaldi Maths & Computing College - H20 Eco
All Saints RC School - Can you insert?
Sutton Centre Community College - Green Keys

Check back soon to see the other winners as they happen.

LEO Celebrates Global Entrepreneurship Week in Style

Enterprising Students Reveal Their Success at the Enterprise Oscars

Oscar glamour came to Mansfield last Wednesday, as winning teams of enterprising students from 12 schools found out which team had won an all-expenses paid trip to New York. The winners of this and a host of other Enterprise Oscar categories were announced at an Oscar-themed event held at the Mansfield Civic Centre on November 18th as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week.

After months of activity in schools and districts, 22 teams from 12 schools competed in the LEO Enterprise Challenge Dragons’ Den Event on the 7th October. The winners from each school were announced on the day. The journey started in May for some of the teams, when no limits education ran an Enterprise Challenge Event for the whole of Year 9 in their school. Participants had to come up with a business idea, and then produced all the materials to “sell” that idea to a panel of judges from the world of business.

Since last May, the Year 9 students (now Year 10) from secondary schools in the districts of Ashfield, Mansfield and Bolsover have been developing their business ideas. They showcased their products and ideas last month, when they were judged by a panel of local business owners, school governors and politicians, including Mansfield’s Executive Mayor. As part of their presentations, the students created television adverts, radio jingles and business plans in addition to a “Dragons’ Den”-type pitch.

Teams were initially judged by the District Panels, selecting one winner from each school. In addition to an overall winner, the 12 school winning teams could win awards in other categories including Most Viable Business Idea, Most Creative Idea, Best TV Advert, and Most Resourceful Team. A total of 28 awards were presented on the night. Winners in each category received a trophy, styled like a real “Oscar”. Each of the 12 school winning teams also received a £100 grant to help them take forward their business idea. The winning team from each District won a trip to Alton Towers. The Overall Winning Team won the trip to New York, including visits to Reuters, The Bank of New York, taking in a baseball game, and other fun activities.

The top 2 teams from each school then went on to district events, where they worked with LEO Business Coaches and the no limits team to improve their business and presentation skills. All this activity is supported by LEO and is part of the Enterprise Academy project to increase enterprise activity in schools and to support young entrepreneurs.

The atmosphere on Wednesday night was electric, as the teams had been waiting with great anticipation to find out who’d won the New York trip and a host of other Oscars! Over 270 guests joined the celebrations, including the teams themselves, their parents, and staff and governors from their schools. A host of local political, community and business leaders were also there to present prizes and join in the celebrations.

The whole enterprise challenge event programme has been designed and delivered by no limits education, a local company that has been working with LEO for the past two and a half years to improve the delivery of enterprise education within secondary schools. LEO is a partnership of the Ashfield, Mansfield and Bolsover District Councils and is funded by the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative. LEO (Local Enterprise Organisation) provides free support to start-up and existing businesses within Ashfield, Mansfield and Bolsover Districts and funds the Enterprise Academy work done by no limits education.

Quotes:

“Great kids, great event, great organisation.” That was the conclusion drawn by Tony Egginton, the Executive Mayor for Mansfield District as he coffered the LEO Enterprise Oscar Overall Winner prize on the Snazzy Snacker team from Ashfield School at a fantastic event held at the Mansfield Civic Centre last night. Schools from across the Ashfield, Bolsover and Mansfield districts have been competing in the Enterprise Academy programme, designed and delivered by no limits education, for the past 6 months and last night saw the winners crowned. Their prize will be an all expenses paid trip to New York. Teams from Sutton Centre, Bolsover School and Manor School won the district rounds, but it was Ashfield School who came out on top. Well done to all for a superb programme.

Chris Shaw, Chief Executive of emda’s unleashing enterprise campaign comments on the Enterprise Oscars.