Young Enterprise
Young Enterprise
At Lochgilphead High School, we have been offering the Young Enterprise Company Programme to our S6 pupils for a number of years. The Young Enterprise Company Programme is the ultimate business and enterprise experience for S5/S6 pupils in schools across Scotland.
The pupils set-up and run their own company through the academic year with support from local business volunteers and Young Enterprise Scotland staff. They develop a wide range of skills and receive an invaluable entrepreneurial experience. At the end of the academic year, the Young Enterprise Companies compete on a local, regional and national level to be crowned Company of the Year.
By participating in Young Enterprise , students learn the fundamentals of enterprise – understanding customers, selling and marketing products, making difficult decisions, working as a team, taking and sharing responsibility. Most importantly they will learn by doing. Enjoying real successes and overcoming real setbacks will make for a truly valuable experience.
As well as supporting the delivery of various elements of the National Curriculum, the programme powerfully develops key skills that enhance young people’s employability skills and enterprise capabilities.
Past Young Enterprise Teams
GULP 2019
Gulp made The Scottish National Young Enterprise Finals in 2019 with their product.
Their aim was to supply the customer with a satisfactory product that took into consideration the health of the customer as well as the health of our planet. Gulp produced BPA free water bottles that could be personalised which would, they hoped, in turn, reduce the use of single-use plastics and benefit the health of their customers by increasing the amount of water they were drinking.
Gulp marketed their product well, they sold it in person at parents evenings, Christmas markets and the Careers Fair as well as using online platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and the Young Enterprise Marketplace. They also had some good local news coverage of their product and success.
Scot Scents 2019
Scot Scents did really well and sold bath bombs that were based on traditional Scottish scents.
They were conscious of environmental issues and aimed to minimise their use of plastics and single-use materials in their product by using paper bags and boxes for packaging.
The Young Enterprise programme allowed the Scot Scents team to develop their skills in team working and problem solving. It gave them the opportunity to learn how to delegate tasks, organise time and it taught them the importance of communication, especially within the team.
Scot Scents' sales and promotions were carried out in person at parents evenings, Christmas markets and Careers fairs, as well as taking advantage of online platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Young Enterprise Marketplace. They also relied on word of mouth and business cards to promote their product.
Drioft 2017
Drioft used seashells and driftwood from local beaches along with a great attitude and positive initiative to create, some really beautiful, bespoke wind chimes, wall hangings and necklaces.
Drioft not only wanted to appeal to locals and those they could reach through Facebook, word of mouth and business cards, they also aspired to appeal to tourists, possibly looking to buy a memento of their trip to the west coast of Scotland.
Drioft's main aims were to have as little an impact on the environment as they could, their materials had to be sustainable. They wanted to create bespoke, hand-made products and they wanted to provide a high standard of customer service as well as handle their business as professionally as they could.
Drioft shared that the experience of participating in Young Enterprise allowed them to learn vital skills such as team work, time keeping, learning new skills in order to keep up with and help production and division of tasks. The team came across a couple of issues, but the programme helped them work together and develop their skills to work together and overcome these challenges in a professional manner.
West Coasters 2017
The West Coasters used the Young Enterprise programme to produce "Creative scenes within our picture frames which capture the spirit of our rural home".
They created beautiful 3-D art work in a choice of 3 different coloured frames available in 3 different sizes. They used materials sourced from local beaches to create the art work.
The Young Enterprise programme helped this team with sorting out how to develop their team work and communication. The team delegated tasks and had 'roles' filled such as a finance director and managing director. The West coasters' carried out market research when looking into the sales of their product and sold their product on Facebook, Christmas markets and various online market palces.