The Junior Apprentice Challenge Enterprise came to a successful end last month, with primary school pupils across Enfield displaying their business skills and creativity.
The challenge, a collaboration between Enfield Council, local businesses, and schools, aims to help young people develop entrepreneurial skills and encourage them to think creatively about business.
Our staff got involved with schools across Enfield – Claire Chandler, Head of Business Development, mentored pupils at Capel Manor to develop their enterprise. Serving up some delicious dishes for their restaurant day, ‘Courageous Capel Cuisine’ raised £70.43 for their chosen charity.
Iain McPherson, our Head of Customer, and Alessio Lettieri, Bid Writer, took to mentoring a fantastic group of year 5 pupils at Key Meadows Primary School to raise money for Hearts & Helpers Enfield.
During the brainstorm sessions, the pupils’ creativity soared, using the £50 seed money to host a ‘car wash day’ and raffle, which included some fantastic prizes.
The cold didn’t stop the kids, either – they cracked out the buckets and sponges to wash teachers’ cars and even some of their friends’ scooters, too. In total, the Key Meadows team raised an impressive £236.85 for their chosen charity.
Sophia Bruce, our Learning and Development Advisor, took to mentoring a team of pupils at St George’s Primary, raising a whopping £318.72 for The Nightingale Cancer Support Centre by selling sweets and homemade cakes.
The final stage of the competition saw the teams present their business ideas to a panel of ‘Super Dragons,’ who assessed their creativity, innovation, and presentation skills. The judges, who were local business leaders, including our very own Sophia, were inspired by the quality of the ideas and the professionalism of the presentations.
“The pupils demonstrated an exceptional and impressive performance, showcasing their skills, innovation, and creativity in the Junior Apprenticeship Challenge Enterprise. They earned a well-deserved outstanding achievement award, highlighting their dedication and hard work.”
““Thank you so much for all the time and effort every young person contributed to the dragons den fundraising drive. Because of your hard work we will be able to support more people effected by homelessness.””
Adrian from Hearts & Helpers praised the young entrepreneurs for all their hard work: "Thank you so much for all the time and effort every young person contributed to the dragons den fundraising drive. Because of your hard work we will be able to support more people effected by homelessness."
Over £1400 was raised in total across the participating schools and awards were given at the presentation – with Key Meadows scooping Outstanding Individual Achievement and St George’s taking home ‘Most Innovative Idea’, ‘Most Profit Made’ and ‘Overall Winner’! Browne are extremely proud of their teams’ achievements across the board.
JACE is part of a wider initiative by Enfield Council to support local causes and promote entrepreneurship in young people. The competition has not only given them the opportunity to develop their entrepreneurial skills, but it has provided a platform for them to highlight their talents and creativity. The success of the Junior Apprentice Challenge is a testament to the dedication and hard work of everyone involved, and it is hoped that it will inspire more young people to pursue careers in business and entrepreneurship in the future.