Students given business masterclass in new initiative
A business initiative which enables students to set up their own company for a whole school year has been extremely successful amongst Sixth Form students at Bradford Girls’ Grammar School.
Business tutor at the school, Mrs Mirza, has been giving the girls a masterclass in all things business.
Students are required to raise their own share capital, choose, make or buy a product, write a business plan and then take the company to market.
At the end of the year, each team presents their company and its results to a panel of independent business advisors who decide on an overall winner.
It’s enough pressure to make even business-mogul Sir Alan Sugar shake in his shoes, but the girls are taking it in their stride.
Mrs Mirza said: “The LEAP programme offers our sixth form students a unique opportunity to gain hands-on business experience.”
Following a business training day at Allerton High School at the beginning of October, which covered marketing, basic accounting and business planning, each team worked together to develop their LEAP company.
This year has seen four teams enter for the regional business competition. Student businesses included: ‘Hamper Creation’ which offered a selection of gift hampers, ‘Eternal’ a range of eco-friendly bags, ‘Misshan’ a selection of jams and chutneys and hand-made soaps, and ‘Allure’, a range of personalised candles and frames.
In the initial stage of the competition, the teams were given the opportunity to showcase their products and sell to the general public at a trade event, held at the Leeds Merrion Centre on Saturday 5th December.
The entrepreneurial students set up their stalls alongside 25 other LEAP companies from six other Yorkshire schools who were also taking part in the programme.
On the day, the BGGS companies cleared most of their stock with ‘Allure’ awarded Runners-Up in the competition for ‘Best Retail Trade Stand’.
The runners up received significant praise from the panel of judges from the LEAP Advisory Committee and bagged a £30 shopping voucher.
The Teams will be given a further chance to sell to the general public at the Merrion Centre during Valentine’s Day in February 2016, after which they will be expected to finalise their business plan and present their final figures to the panel of judges.
With further possible awards on the table for presentation skills and overall reporting, the teams are hoping to build on their trading success in the next stage of the competition.
