Young Enterprise Overview

Young Enterprise is a national education charity with a mission to inspire and equip young people to learn and succeed through enterprise. The organisation operates a number of programmes on a learning by doing principle. In the Company Programme Achievers aged 15-19 run their own company over the course of an academic year.

The company is formally established with a board of directors and shareholders and has to fulfil pretty much the same level of corporate governance as any other business. To find out more about Young Enterprise and see how you can support better business education for young people check out the website at www.young-enterprise.org.uk or give them a call at 01865 776845.

Gareth Edwards, managing director of Arrowsmith Marketing Limited, has been assigned as a volunteer Young Enterprise West Midlands business adviser to King Edward VI college in Stourbridge. King Edward's is the top A level college in the West Midlands and has an excellent track record in regional competitions. Gareth is supporting YE link teacher Jeremy Panko.

Thing-amy-jigz (2007 - 2008)

Thing-amy-jigz are this year's YE company for Arrowsmith Marketing Ltd to support.

The team managed to develop and sell a range of Xmas decorations with both a traditional and an alternative flavour. These included both a Chav and an Emo reaindeer. Arrowsmith employees were delighted to purchase various examples for use on their own Christmas trees.

They intend to take the basic design ideas and make themed items that will last through Valentine's Day, Mother Day and Easter.

In March Thing-amy-jigz attended trade fairs at RAF Cosford and Stratford upon Avon. The team managed to sell Cream Egg Eating Kits and a variety of photos taken by expert photographer Jeremy Panko.

2006 - 2007 Hotopz ("Best Presentation" prize winners)

Hotopz are this year's company for Arrowsmith Marketing to support. Hotopz have decided to design, print and sell a range of T-Shirts and hoodies focused on the their fashion conscious colleagues at the college. They are also providing a customised design service that might suit the fuddy duddys of Arrowsmith a little better. The Hotopz website is about to be launched with order details and a gallery of Hot Topz products.

Congratulations to the Hot Topz team on their success at the Black Country finals with the Best Presentation award. Well done.

2005 - 2006 Four

In January the company launched a magazine aimed at the 1400 students (as well as staff, friends and family) of the college. At an early stage the team realised that to achieve the production values they wanted they would have to generate revenue from advertising. So they had to run an intensive sales campaign focusing on local businesses with a desire to promote their goods and services to students.

The magazine generated nearly £2,000 of advertising from a variety of Stourbridge firms - this was something of a milestone for King Edward's. Of course a full colour print run of 1400 doesn't come cheap so profits weren't quite as high as the team expected.

Four also attended YE trade shows in West Bromwich and Stratford-on-Avon. The impressive thing about them was their willingness to pull together a portfolio of products that they could sell. Most other YE companies had specific, tangible products to take to market.

It was a pleasure to work with this group of young people. They were pleasant, enthusiastic and confident. I really enjoyed the opportunity to provide mentoring support and help them succeed in making their ideas a reality.

	Stourbridge News December 14th 2005 - Click picture for larger image