Support For Schools To Develop Business

The Government has today announced that it will support every school to develop and run its own business through the Enterprise Champions Programme.

This is part of a package of four new announcements to help inspire, support and grow new businesses in the UK. These announcements come alongside the launch of Start-Up Britain, the ground-breaking response from the private sector to the Government’s call for an ‘enterprise-led’ recovery.

The Government is today announcing:

• Support for every school to run its own business through the Enterprise Champions Programme
• A major roll-out of Tenner Tycoon, the successful competition owned and run by the Peter Jones Foundation which gives young people the opportunity to take forward their business ideas
• The creation of enterprise societies in every University and most Further Education Colleges to develop students with the ambition and skills for enterprise
• A new online tool, the Innovation Launch Pad, enabling small businesses to pitch their ideas on how they could deliver better value for money for Government
• The launch of Brighton Fuse, a joint initiative by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE) to expand the creative, digital and IT sector in Brighton and Hove and provide business opportunities for graduates

Business Secretary Vince Cable said: "We want to transform the ambition and aspiration of young people through real business experience. To rebuild our economy and create new jobs, we need to inspire the next generation to seriously think about starting their own

company.

"Through Tenner Tycoon, the Enterprise Champions Programme and enterprise societies, we will be giving young people insight into enterprise at an early age, showing them how rewarding it can be to transform your own ideas into a real business."

Peter Jones CBE, founder and Chairman of the Peter Jones Foundation said: "My Foundation has ambitious plans to grow Tenner Tycoon tenfold from 25,000 in 2011 and this will help create a winning enterprise culture in our schools. We will work with government, business, education and political audiences who can help realise the superb potential of the scheme and the ambitions of our young people."

The Enterprise Champions Programme will enable schools across the country to set up and manage a business. Schools will be given access to online resource materials and tools which will give practical advice for teachers.

The Government will help schools engage local enterprise champions to support school businesses and extend learning into the commercial environment. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) will be working with the Education and Employers Taskforce to have all elements of the programme up and running by the end this year.

The Government will work with the Peter Jones Foundation to make Tenner Tycoon realise the ambition to reach at least 250,000 young people by 2014.

Enterprise societies in universities and colleges will provide students with the skills and support to develop and manage a business. The Government will aim to deliver enterprise societies into all 89 universities in England and at least 160 Further Education Colleges.

BIS will work with the National Consortium of University Entrepreneurs (NACUE) and the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurs (NCGE) to provide recommendations by the end of June, with the aspiration to showcase the first new enterprise societies by November this year.

The Innovation Launch Pad will be launched on 28th March 2011 and will enable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to pitch their ideas on how they could deliver better value for money in the delivery of Government's business. The best ideas will be handpicked by a community of civil servants and, after intensive mentoring from some of Britain's foremost entrepreneurs, those that demonstrate the highest impact will be invited to present their ideas at a Product Surgery in the summer. In addition, Downing Street will host a reception for those with the best ideas. This will stimulate new open competitions in Government markets in which these suppliers will be able to participate.

Today also sees the launch of Brighton Fuse, a £1 million government funded initiative led by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE).

The announcements continue to build upon the significant changes for small businesses that the Government has introduced since May 2010, and upon the further commitments announced in last week’s Budget.

(BMcN/GK)