Member Article

London Students Show Their Entrepreneurial Talents at the historic Old Spitalfields Market

Secondary school students taking part in Young Enterprise’s flagship Company Programme in London set up trade stands and sold their products last week at the historic Old Spitalfields Market.

The event, sponsored by Delta Air Lines, saw young entrepreneurs selling innovative and environmentally friendly products, including: upcycled and repurposed denim, wellbeing hampers, food waste reduction solutions and a time management app.

Young Enterprise is a national charity that motivates young people to succeed in the changing world of work by equipping them with the work skills, knowledge and confidence they need. Company Programme, Young Enterprise’s flagship enterprise education programme, sees students across the country set up and run a real business or social enterprise over an academic year.

Students across London made all the decisions about their business, from deciding the company name and product, to creating a business plan, managing their finances and selling their products.

The companies were awarded by an expert panel of judges, including Graham Farhall, Delta Air Lines; Mark Haines, HSBC; Andy Hamlyn, Capita; Dean Ahmad, contestant on last years The Apprentice; Ricky Blair, Colliers, and, Pete Reis-Campbell of Kaizen.

The winners were:

Best Customer Service – Eden from Surbiton High School Product: Reusable beeswax sandwich paper

Best Product/Service – Gemini Enterprises from Surbiton High School Product: A tug toy for dogs

Best Trade Stand – Venator from Watford Grammar School for Boys Product: Boot bag with bamboo activated charcoal

Best Overall Company – Viprus from Watford Grammar School for Boys Product: A Wi-Fi sharing NFC puck

Pallav, the MD from Best Overall Company, Viprus, said:

“From the experience we ‘ve learnt that running a business requires a lot of work, preparation, due diligence and attention to detail is paramount. Winning best overall company at the Old Spitalfields Trade Fair means that across the board we are providing a better product and service to customers and we have a clear message for what we want to help our customers with’’

Sharon Davies, CEO, Young Enterprise, comments:

“The Young Enterprise Company Programme is a fantastic way for young people of all backgrounds to discover transferrable employability skills they never knew they had. What’s more, the hands-on, practical experience of running their own business has equipped students with confidence, and inspired passion for their own future careers. Every year, we see once-shy young people transform into fantastic sales people, and those who didn’t think they had the desire or capacity to undertake the project eventually lead their own companies.

“Congratulations are in order for all teams who are taking part in the Company Programme this year, and will certainly be imparted with an invaluable learning experience that you can’t find in textbooks.”

Graham Farhall, Regional Director Finance at Delta and Young Enterprise Board Member said:

“I’m always impressed by the innovative thinking of the students who present their businesses at this event. As a company that puts innovation and technology at the forefront of air travel, these companies all have something in common with Delta and I’m sure these students will go on to have successful careers.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Nick Till .