Excellent levels of student participation
During the 2008/09 year 315,665 young people took part in our programmes. Details of performance in each programme can be found on the preceding "Highlights" page.
Programme Development
With continuing additional funding support, most notably from the educational foundation Edge, we have this year been able to expand our five-year investment project to develop exciting new programmes and renovate materials for our existing portfolio.
COMPANY PROGRAMME ONLINE
With development work supported by Edge, the new Company Programme Online resource was made available to over 30,000 young people who took part in Company Programme this year. The website provides students with an innovative suite of business tools and guidance, empowering students to work collaboratively online as they set up and run their companies. It has also enabled students, for the first time, to join an online community of Young Enterprise companies across the UK.
YOUR SCHOOL YOUR BUSINESS
This innovative new programme supports students as they move up from Primary to Secondary school and completes our suite of enterprise programmes which are now available to young people at every stage in their education. The programme was successfully rolled out across the UK and delivered to 33,011 students this year.
QUICKSTART MUSIC
Supported by Edge, Department for Culture Media & Sport and UK Music, this innovative new programme model supports young people to set up and run their own music industry in school. The programme was piloted across 5 regions, evaluated and developed for UK wide rollout during 2009/10.
PROGRAMME RENOVATIONS
The year saw the extensive renovation of the ‘Our City’ Primary Programme module and Secondary “Project Business” programme.
Communications
PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGNS
In the reported year, Young Enterprise carried out several promotional campaigns to raise awareness and support for our work and the value of enterprise, employability skills and financial capability. A Young Enterprise commissioned survey helped to reveal the low levels of financial awareness amongst teenagers and the importance of financial capability programmes such as Young Enterprise Personal Economics.
Through highlighting best practice in schools across the UK, Young Enterprise demonstrated the value of enterprise and employer engagement to some of our youngest pupils. A successful launch event for QuickStart Music helped to promote an innovative new way of developing enterprise and employability skills.
The success of pupils taking part in the Company and Team Programmes was celebrated through the high profile HSBC Young Enterprise Innovation Awards event.
ALUMNI PROGRAMME
Through the support of Edge, the Young Enterprise Alumni programme has continued to flourish as past participants of the Company Programme register with the scheme, share their experiences and re-engage with the organisation through volunteering and support.
The Alumni website and ‘Ask the Experts’ feature were launched enabling Young Enterprise Alumni to support students currently taking part in the programme through online advice and guidance.
IT systems have been put into place to enable Alumni tracking and evaluation regionally and to support regional offices to engage alumni to support Young Enterprise programmes locally.
Thanks
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our many corporate supporters, business volunteers and teachers for their dedication, enthusiasm and achievement in delivering this year’s activity. Equally, the Regional Chairmen, their Board members and staff are to be congratulated for their tremendous commitment and determination to build strong Young Enterprise regional organisations.
Finally, but by no means least, I would like to thank my UK Board colleagues and the National Office staff team for their leadership and effective management of our organisation.
We are all looking forward to another successful year of inspiring and enabling yet more young people to Learn by Doing.
Ian Smith
Chairman
12th November 2009
