Burton Youth Enterprise

QWERTY key into Trade Fair Success

A team of Sixth Formers from De Ferrers School in Burton won this year’s Young Enterprise Trade Fair held in Coopers Square and Burton Place last weekend.

Aptly named QWERTY, the team, led by their Managing Director Sonam Vadher, came up with the idea of an elastic book marker with a slot for pens and a unique mobile phone rack.

Ten local schools in the Burton and District Young Enterprise programme for 2008/9 have entered 13 teams in this years’ competition. Burton youth enterprise winners from De Ferrers School

The Trade Fair is one of the highlights of their annual programme to set up and run a business that sells products or services of their own choice, to the public, their friends and families.

Throughout the 10-months of the programme to June this year, the pupils run and manage their own company, as if was a fully-functioning business with their own Board of Directors.

Young Enterprise, YE, was set up in the late 1960s and encourages pupils in Years 12 and 13 to gain first-hand experience of operating their own company.

YE rightly claims to have pioneered this concept in schools and has a long and established record of developing business management and financial skills necessary to successfully run an organisation. Its success is now being copied by others.

“This year’s event reached new highs”, said Andy Luffman, Chairman of the Burton Group. “All the teams have developed some outstanding products and a great mix of services; many sold out during the day”.

The Trade Fair is held to encourage all the teams to build their confidence and skills in a retailing environment. In this, the management of Coopers Square and Burton Place played an important part in providing their support and allowing the teams ample space to erect their stands and to take over the majority of the Square.

“We have already gained a great deal from taking part”, added Sonam, “All the team have contributed to our success so far. We now have a 10-page company report to write about QWERTY and our business. And in April the Area Finals will be held at Thomas Alleyne’s School in Uttoxeter”.

Local business experts spent Saturday morning judging each team – a bit like The Apprentice – on the quality of their presentations, their displays and overall business- style.

Lizz Fields-Pattinson from Trent Safety People, Kirsty Bould from Specialised Orthotic Services, Hannah Sookias from The Write Solution with Dave Chadfield and Glenn Fowler, the mangers of the 2 shopping centres that supported the Trade Fair.

This year’s event was sponsored by Think Local, whose ongoing campaign is focused on increasing trade between Staffordshire businesses and creating greater awareness of the benefits of local trading.

The Area Finals held in June followed by County, Regional and National Finals. In the past, local schools have reached the Staffordshire Finals and this year hope to go further. The Winning National Team will visit Canada in the summer.