Launch of The North West 500 Campaign
Why Here and Why Now?
Employability skills are hard to pin down. What is in no doubt, as a business owner you'll certainly experience the impact if employees haven't got the skills needed for your business to stand out from the crowd in the highly competitive market place today. You need people who can and will add value at every turn, regardless of their role in your business.
As our region continues along the hard road towards economic recovery, we need to plan now to ensure tomorrows workforce have both the capabilities and attitude needed to succeed. Young people are key to fuelling the sustained economic recovery of the North West region. Regardless of whether they go on to establish a business of their own or help you increase the success of yours later on down the line, young people deserve the best chance possible to go on and make that crucial impact in the workplace. We all have a stake in their success.
To help the regions succession plan, young people need practical opportunities to develop their employability skills and entrepreneurial characteristics. The partnership between business and education is key to help young people develop their enterprise capability. Your support can make all the difference.
For nearly 50 years Young Enterprise has been at the forefront of enterprise education. Last year over 700 business volunteers engaged in the delivery of Young Enterprise Programmes with over 20,000 young people aged between 4 – 25 years old from across the North West. Our programmes empower the next generation with the confidence, ability and ambition to succeed in a rapidly changing global economy. Our flagship programme, Company Programme enables young people aged 14-19 to set-up and run their own business or company over an academic year. With the support of volunteer advisers, the young people start their company, develop products or services to sell, raise capital, market their company and keep their own accounts. Alongside the one year programme, we also deliver enterprise programmes that can be delivered over 1 to 5 days. These programmes enable younger children and young people to build an understanding and gain the practical skills needed to become successful in setting up and running their own enterprises.
What is The North West 500?
The North West 500 is a campaign to engage businesses across the North West to work together with Young Enterprise in a joint mission to practically invest and nurture the future talent of the North West. Together we can support young people to develop a practical application of the employability skills needed for the region to sustain its recovery.
If 500 employers from across the North West each contributed a minimum of £500, this would have the potential to enhance the futures of up to 10,000 young people. Providing individuals with a practical opportunity to participate in a Young Enterprise activity that develops real skills that have a strong currency within the workplace.
The range of enterprise opportunities employers could support include The Young Enterprise Company Programme which has been independently evaluated to have a long term impact in terms of:
• Young Enterprise Company Programme Alumni are twice as likely to start their own business
• Young Enterprise Company Programme Alumni are more successful in their careers than non participating counterparts
• Young Enterprise Company Programme Alumni are more likely to get involved with voluntary work
What's in it for my Business?
For employers who make a commitment to joining the North West 500, supporting young people from within and around your local community to participate in Young Enterprise Programmes, the benefits can broadly be described as three fold.
• Short Term - Increased recognition within the community and beyond of the contribution your business is making towards local community cohesion. Creating marketing/PR impact, which in turn provides opportunities to strengthen your own company brand and increase brand awareness.
• Short - Medium Term Employees who engage as volunteers in the delivery of the programme will benefit from an opportunity to develop a range of professional development skills. This in turm also adds value to your business. All employees will be fully trained and receive support from Young Enterprise staff.
• Medium - Long Term Young people who you may well employ in the future develop employability and enterprise skills through a process of learning by doing. Joining the North West 500 could form an integral part of intelligent long term organisational succession planning.
Could you be one of The North West 500?
Want to find out more?
Contact Andy Firr- andrew.firr@yenw.org or 07841 880 979
