Tuesday 10th July 2012

9.45 – 2pm

Magna Science & Adventure Centre, Sheffield, South Yorkshire

Young people and the communities in which they live face unprecedented challenge in coping with the shift from an age of industry to an age of knowledge, creativity and enterprise. Globalisation, changes in technology and employment and the recent recession are having a profound impact on how we work and live.

At ‘Are You Ready?’ we believe that enterprise is a critical part of 21st century learning. Teachers, businesses, parents and the wider community have significant skills and expertise which can contribute to transforming the future of education for young people and strengthening our communities.

‘Are You Ready?’ have been working with NESTA (National Endowment of Science Technology and Arts) since 2011 to explore the power of partnerships in developing enterprise and will share this learning at this national conference.

The day will comprise of;

• Inspiration from education and industry
• Examples of partnership best practice in enterprise learning
• Discussion with peers and colleagues
• Opportunities to ask questions
• A 4-19 young person-led enterprise learning market

Places are charged at £120 per delegate.

Bookings made before 31st May 2012 can receive an Early Bird discount of £20 per booking.

Lunch will be provided for all attendees – please specify on your booking if you have any special dietary requirements.

Bookings can be made by emailing Becky Mollart on becky@areyouready.org.uk or calling 07717450985 for more information or group booking discounts.

The Duke, who has a special interest in business and enterprise, visited Herringthorpe Infants school in Rotherham, South Yorks, where he met teachers, pupils and staff involved in the award-winning education programme, Rotherham Ready.

Herringthorpe is the only Infant school in the world to have an entrepreneurship speciality and the Duke saw children as young as four who are learning about the skills and attitudes needed in the world of work and business.

Rotherham Ready, which was launched in 2005, has become internationally acclaimed for its approach to integrating enterprise into learning for all children aged 4-19. The town won the prestigious Enterprising Britain competition in 2010 for this work. And in 2011, following the launch of the national facing part of the programme, ‘Are You Ready?’, won the StartUp Britain ‘Best Enterprise Support’ award at the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.

Rotherham Ready Project Officer Catherine Brentnall: “The Duke recognised the disconnect between education and business and seemed genuinely impressed with the way we’re bridging the gap and the real impact our work is having on children and young people. What was really encouraging was that he seemed interest in the national significance of the programme and the wider impact we can have across the UK.”

Nancy Cresswell-Hall, 6, was one of the many pupils who chatted to the Duke during his visit to Herringthorpe Infants. She told him all about a classroom exercise based on the shoddy service given by the company who provided the Emperor’s New Clothes. The Duke also met Danny West who set up his own successful pizza party business and now also works as a Rotherham Ready mentor.

Following the success of Rotherham Ready, the programme has been replicated in Hull, North Lincolnshire, Calderdale, Scarborough, and most recently, Derbyshire in a bid to help young people develop alternatives to the unprecedented challenges they now face amidst youth unemployment of a million plus.

PICTURE CAPTION: The Duke with young entrepreneurs from Herringthorpe Infants.

Pupils from Year 7 have been exploring the idea of ‘inventions’ and have considered past and current problems we could solve using enterprising and entrepreneurial skills. Necessity is the mother of all invention and some of the highlights include an alarm clock with a bacon scent, no more bad hair days with a hair sculpting helmet, environmentally friendly hovering car and a home suitable for disabled people to live independently.

As students considered their own future careers, they worked with local entrepreneurs and business people to find out more about starting your own business in Rotherham. Entrepreneurs included; Geoff Hunt from Swisher Blue cleaning, Jacqui Saxon from The Ultimate Balloon Company, Lucy Lipollis of Sparkles children’s parties, Lee Bestall from Inspired Garden Designs Ltd Early Bird Deals, Flamingo Photography and Danny West from Pizzatainment party company.

The help and advice from these businesses was invaluable for Wingfield students who now have exciting ideas for the next step in their career. Some pupils were so impressive in their work that the businesses have promised to look out for them as future employees!

On Tuesday 20^th March, local entrepreneurs returned to be the guest judges in our Dragons Den Competition which was a culmination of all the pupils’ learning. Each class presented their invention for the future including details about advertising strategies, customer profiles, budgets and finance outlines. The wining pitch was from Mr Jones’s class with a ‘cigarextinguisher’ invention. The product which most impressed our judges is a smoke detector to help enforce the smoking ban in public places. Its creator was Matthew Watson and for the prize winning presentation he was joined by Mahia Ul Haque. Runners up with an excellent idea were Miss Barnes’ Class, who provided a convincing solution to overcrowding and pollution in modern in cities by creating a ‘Floatopolis;’ the city of the future in the sky!

Facilitated by North Lincolnshire Council and sponsored by UK Steel Enterprise, 8 schools took part in the latest round of activity from October 2011 to February 2012.

Rotherham Ready staff led both the launch and closing events for the schools and were amazed at the overall £2,836.45 profit made by the collective of schools and their business partners.

North Lincolnshire Council said; “Make £5 Blossom develops links between schools and businesses and these are further strengthened as the businesses provide expert advice and help to the different groups of school children to guide them through the project. Exciting Make £5 Blossom activities have included making bubble bath, recipe cards and tasty treats along with many other innovative ideas.”

Each school taking part in the programme is committed to developing a culture of enterprise throughout school and this was demonstrated in the presentations given by children who were entrepreneurial, confident, articulate and passionate about their projects.

Cllr Keith Vickers, Mayor of North Lincolnshire, said: “This is a fun and valuable scheme that helps North Lincolnshire children develop their entrepreneurial flair. It also benefits teachers and helps local businesses forge links with our schools.”

Businesses supporting the schools were overwhelmed at the commitment and resilience of the students taking part, commenting that such positive results really underpin the need for enterprise in education to start at an early age.

Keith Williams, UK Steel Enterprise Ltd’s Regional Manager for Yorkshire, Humberside and the Midlands said; “If we are to encourage entrepreneurship and business start-ups then understanding how to identify and satisfy a market need is an important skill. An appreciation of what is required to start and run a business can provide youngsters with the confidence to do it themselves in the future and provides important life skills for any job.”

For more information about bringing Make £5 Blossom to your area, please contact Becky Mollart on Rebecca.mollart@rotherham.gov.uk