8 – 13 year olds

The main focus here will be helping community organisations and educational establishments work together to develop enterprise activities for 8-13 year olds. This will include:

• Establishing two community clusters and two school networks to develop sustainable enterprise activities
• Training in enterprise learning for those working with young people
• Continuing support to network organisations to develop enterprise learning
• Enterprise activities with young people

14-19 year olds

The focus here will be on embedding enterprise skills within the learning of all young people by bringing in the local business context. This will include:

• Developing enterprise activities with young people within their existing courses at school and college. This will be done through establishing and supporting vocational networks of teachers and trainers and running competitions for young people that involve local business partners
• Piloting accredited enterprise programmes for 14-16 year olds in construction and horticulture/landscaping
• Helping young people to consider enterprise in their career decisions. This will be done through producing an 8-19 enterprise framework and collaborating with a range of private partners in further education settings.

These activities will be aimed at all young people between the ages of 8-19, and will include:

• Opening up the Enterprise Innovation Fund (see Achievements so far) to community-based organisations seeking to develop enterprise activities and events
• Piloting a young chamber of commerce in three schools and establishing a Croydon-wide Young Chamber
• Working with a major Croydon-based company to run a book publishing project for 8-16 year olds
• Developing a website for young people interested in enterprise.

If Croydon is to develop the next generation of Richard Bransons and Anita Roddicks, we believe that enterprise must be a consistent part of young people’s learning.

While 2006/07 has been a year of laying the foundations and equipping teachers with the expertise to pass onto their pupils, the year ahead promises much in the way of exciting projects, emerging youth businesses and eager young visionaries.

Watch this space for the tycoons of tomorrow!

Achievements so far

• 20 schools in our target areas have taken part in enterprise activities
• 2,000 students have participated in a range of activities designed to introduce them to the concept of enterprise. These include designing and producing a newspaper, starting a T-shirt printing business and making a school documentary
• Teachers from 11 schools in the borough have received specialist enterprising training, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to take back to their schools, as well as funding to help put on enterprise events for their pupils
• 12 projects and events have been given funding by our young people’s ‘Enterprise Innovation Fund’ which offers financial support to enterprise activities for young people between the ages of eight to 19. So far, this has helped support the development of a market garden company and a printing company; and has led to a further 1,200 young people taking part in enterprise activities

Over the next 12 months we aim to:

• Open up our Enterprise Innovation Fund to young people outside of schools, in community groups and youth clubs, who have enterprising ideas they want to turn into a business. The deadline for submissions is 15 September 2007 and application forms can be obtained from Croydon Voluntary Action on 020 8684 3862 or Croydon Education Business Partnership on 020 8395 3311
• Offer 25 local youngsters an intensive course on the music industry. Over four weeks, the students will obtain a wealth of insider knowledge and tips about how to become a music entrepreneur
• Develop a CD and film project as well as a book project (see action plan for further details)
• Norbury Manor Business and Enterprise College will be running school enterprise challenges for both primary and secondary school
• We will be working with Croydon Council’s Children, Young People and Learners’ Department on a major project to develop young people’s entrepreneurial skills. This will include teaching enterprise in schools and colleges, piloting accredited enterprise programmes for 14-16 year olds in construction and horticulture, and setting up a young people’s chamber of commerce.

• The young enterprise project is being delivered by the council’s Department for Children, Young People and Learners. It is responsible for delivering an innovative plan of learning and activities that will promote and embed enterprise awareness and encourage entrepreneurship in children and young people in the LEGI target communities
• The plan has been developed by a dynamic team made up of representatives from Norbury Manor Business and Enterprise College, Croydon Education Business Partnership, Croydon 14-19 Partnership, senior council officers and consultants from Warwick University
• Norbury Manor Business and Enterprise College has provided the enterprise training to teachers, along with input from Croydon Education Business Partnership.

• Norbury Manor Norbury Manor Business and Enterprise College
• Croydon Education Business Partnership
• Schools, colleges, youth clubs, community organisations in target areas
• Private sector enterprise learning providers
• Local businesses.

We all know how an inspiring teacher can make the world of difference to a young person’s choices in life. That is why we are offering teachers a range of ways to boost their own knowledge of enterprise and business which they can put into practice back in the classroom through activities and projects. We can also offer funding to schools wishing to undertake specific enterprise activities.
Contacts:  Harold Flowerdew: harold.flowerdew@croydon.gov.uk.   Allan Nimmo: allan.nimmo@croydon.gov.uk for more details

"I have been finding out how they are starting businesses and I'm quite impressed. There are people who have started with as little as £50 and are making money. You have some real little entrepreneurs here."
TV Dragon Peter Jones on students he met during a visit to Norbury Manor Business and Enterprise College in July 2007

“In education there is always a new idea or a new initiative but I believe the future of enterprise education is certain even in this changing environment and is tantamount in giving teachers a new strategy to help young people develop the skills they need in a global economy."
Tracey Scarsbrook, Deputy Head of Norbury Manor Business and Enterprise College

Action 8-13 year olds Develop a dedicated support team composed of a project manager, a specialist business and enterprise provider, training organisations, community groups and local businesses. Develop existing and new clusters of schools, colleges & other settings to work together to provide opportunities for enterprise education and wider participation in activities in the target community. Activity days in schools to build on the enterprise training delivered in the first quarter of 2007. Events will include a CV scrap book project for year 6 students, helping to develop their creativity and understand the role of money and budgeting.	Objectives   To provide a range of supported training packages to key colleagues in schools and community groups etc.                     Develop enterprise skills of young people aged 10-11 and help them in their transition to secondary school.	Timescale   Oct 07           Sept 07 and ongoing           Sept/Dec 07
14-19 year olds A range of enterprise activities within five vocational subjects: business and admin, manufacturing, animals, hospitality & catering, and hair & beauty.   Review of enterprise activities taking place in 14-16 education.   Develop a set of information videos developed by young   Work with specialist music schools and community groups in the target community to prepare and produce examples of world music and market and distribute these across a range of settings including radio and television stations Competitions in Year 1 & 2: E.g. developing an IT system that helps a small theatre or artist with budgeting, marketing etc. Health & Social Care: E.g. a competition to devise ways of helping people with dementia remember things. Construction: E.g. a planning challenge to overcome. Creative and media: E.g. a competition to design a team- building exercise for a company which will involve elements of corporate social responsibility. Engineering: E.g. a transport-based challenge. The introduction of an enterprise qualification to the construction course at Croydon College. The introduction of an enterprise qualification to existing horticulture/landscaping courses.   Creating a book of short stories, poems and pictures written and produced by young people from across Croydon. The finished book will be published and sold, with the proceeds going towards the creation of a reading group   To pilot and establish a Young Chamber of Commerce.   Develop an enterprise learning website, to include information on enterprise for young people, provide online challenges, and a forum in which young people can discuss their enterprise and business ideas	To introduce enterprise to students at the same time that they are undertaking vocational courses, and to develop clear progression routes for enterprise skills and help young people make more informed decisions about their future careers.     To establish the foundation for the post-16 framework and to build on best practice while avoiding double funding.   Giving young people a clearer understanding of the cultural diversity of their own community and the opportunities this creates   To illustrate the importance of creativity in enterprise success, working in partnership and marketing           Bringing elements of enterprise into vocational subjects, offering an extra dimension to established career paths, encouraging partnership working which is becoming an increasing part of specialised diplomas. These competitions are also a response to industry requests for this type of learning and accreditation opportunity for young people.                         To improve employability and awareness of enterprise in the construction industry   To improve employability and awareness of enterprise in the horticulture/landscaping context.   To give young people the opportunity to participate in enterprise activities outside of school settings. To draw in community and voluntary groups into the projects. To encourage young people to develop their enterprise skills throughout the school key stages and use these skills to help them with the various progression points through to adulthood. To encourage young people to contribute to the development of Croydon businesses. To give young people access to enterprise information that is relevant to them, current and motivational. To enable young people in schools, youth groups and other settings to link together as well as with businesses and other entrepreneurs. To provide a dynamic and interactive range of support and guidance on setting up and running enterprise learning activities and ventures. To encourage others to be involved in the delivery of innovative enterprise learning projects through the development of partnership working To raise the awareness of young people and the wider community in the activities being undertaken by this project and by other initiatives supporting enterprise education across the target community.	Sept 07 and ongoing         Sept 07 and ongoing     Nov 07     Jan 08               March 08                                   May 07/July 08   May 07/July 08       Oct/Nov 07               Sept/Dec 07     Sept 07 and ongoing