Worcester students can become tomorrow’s entrepreneurs – with support from local businesses.

Worcester City Council is calling on more employers to build closer links with local schools, in a bid to create a workforce with the skills needed to grow more businesses in the future.

James Vincent, who runs his own digital marketing company Hot Source Creative (hotsourcecreative.com), has got involved in the countywide ‘Creating your future workforce’ campaign. 

He is giving advice to Young Enterprise participants – an initiative which helps local young people to develop the mindset and skills they need to succeed in business.

“There’s a lot of pressure on students to follow the traditional academic path and go to university, but I think there are many young people who have a natural entrepreneurial flair and are ready to work in the real world – they just need people to believe in them,” says James.

“I was lucky enough to have had business mentors around me who gave me the confidence to set up on my own at a young age – but not everyone has those networks.

“It’s important that we make sure the next generation of entrepreneurs are able to break through.”

Almost 190 students from across the county, including students from Tudor Grange Academy, King’s School and Worcester Sixth Form College, are participating in the Young Enterprise programme.

Students work in teams to form their own company and then raise funds by selling shares to friends and family.  This money is used to purchase raw materials which are turned into small gift items, which each team sold initially at the Worcester Victorian Fayre.

The profits from that event will now be used to develop a new product which students will sell at the South Worcestershire Spring Trade Fair, to be held in the High Street on March 9.

Local businesses are invited to sponsor awards for the best products and teams at the event.

The Mayor of Worcester, Cllr Jabba Riaz, who visited the students’ stalls at the Victorian Fayre, is himself a past Young Enterprise participant. 

“I was very impressed with the emphasis on ethical and environmentally friendly products developed by all the students; our future is safe in their hands,” he said.

“We have a tradition of passing on our skills to young people in this city.  Building closer links between schools and businesses is essential to help cultivate the workforce we need to be successful in the future.”

Your business can get involved, even if you can only spare a few hours a year. 

Local businesses of all sizes are helping by offering young people mock interviews and help to write CVs; having a presence at careers fairs or offering a young person a work experience opportunity or apprenticeship.

For more details, go to wlep.co.uk/current-projects/creating-our-future-workforce-campaign

To sign up your school for Young Enterprise in 2019, call Julia Neale on 07960 063202; email Julia.neale@y-e.org.uk or find out more at young-enterprise.org.uk