HOW TO MAKE OUR CHILDREN ENTREPRENEURS
I BELIEVE we must encourage a new attitude that will prepare young people for success in the 21st century. Today, one in five young people in Britain is out of work. Competition for jobs is fierce and employment is a greater challenge than it has been for generations.
I see enormous potential in Britain’s young people, but they need encouragement to turn their dreams into reality. Every one of us has an ambition or a spark of an idea but we often need help to realise it. I believe that anyone can make it in Britain, but we need to rewire our nation’s mentality so that young people leave school with the confidence and self-belief that they can be anything they want to be. In short, winning needs to become part of our national DNA.
Part of the solution can be found in initiatives such as Tenner Tycoon, the UK’s largest enterprise competition for schools. This is a scheme that I actively support, which this year loaned 28,000 schoolchildren £10 for the month of March and challenged them to make money, make a difference, and give back to their communities.
Schemes such as this are central to creating a spirit of enterprise in Britain, and are extremely successful in introducing entrepreneurship to people at a young age, laying the foundations for a new, talented generation of entrepreneurs.
Tenner Tycoon 2011 was the largest and most successful yet, with 365 schools involved and £231,320 in £10 notes distributed. The excitement and enthusiasm during the campaign has been fantastic. I have seen many inspiring stories and brilliant ideas from this year’s participants, which have helped make the competition what it is: a showcase of the talent and ingenuity of Britain’s youth.
This year’s winners ranged from 6 to 19 years old and included 15-year-old Priya Kumar from Baylis Court School in Slough, who designed and produced handmade greeting cards. Her sales raised £300 for charity and helped her win the prize for the most outstanding individual at last week’s awards ceremony in London.
Another shining star from the campaign was 7-year-old Anna Sleigh from Windlesham Village Infant School in Surrey, who’s bean growing competition won her the individual Best Business Idea.
These are just two examples of the thousands of budding entrepreneurs from this year’s competition, proving that young people can achieve great things when given support and encouragement. Through the involvement of parents and teachers across Britain, Tenner Tycoon has helped to instil ambitious attitudes in young people, so that they believe they can achieve their full potential.
With youth unemployment at its current level, we must inspire a new generation of innovative and confident entrepreneurs that will provide our nation with growth and prosperity for a brighter future.
But while we take on that immediate and urgent challenge, let’s take some comfort that there are 28,000-plus future “tycoons” out there who show great promise for contributing to Britain’s future economic success.
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