561 Students in Young Enterprise Scheme

Media Release 06.03.07
Attention: News Editor/Business Reporter

Five hundred and sixty-one budding student entrepreneurs in the Counties Manukau region have dreams of being business owners. If every one of them learns valuable lessons in starting up, running, and more importantly making profits in business, then New Zealand's business future looks extremely bright.

561 students from 19 schools in the region have signed themselves into the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) programme for 2007. This is phenomenal!!

In 2005 there were 80 students and 6 schools, in 2006 there were 160 students and 8 schools.

The programme is owned by the Enterprise New Zealand Trust, but is delivered in the Counties Manukau Region by Enterprising Manukau. The growth of the scheme has been outstanding since its introduction into Counties Manukau by Enterprising Manukau in 2005.

The popularity of the programme is encouraged by schools, sponsors, coaches and mentors.

The students have the opportunity to get involved in establishing a business, development of a start up plan, trading and winding it up at the end of the year. The students learn financial management, leadership, marketing and sales, communications, human resources and production. They are coached and mentored by local business people volunteering their time.

Students invest real money, produce real products, pay real taxes and keep the real profits. Fundamentally, this scheme allows students to run a real business within the safe environment of support and formal structure. For students, Young Enterprise is a great opportunity to realise their uniqueness, develop their strengths, work together as a team and possibly make a profit at the same time. Like any other team event, YES is about working towards goals and taking all the steps necessary to achieve them.

YES helps students to make the right decisions about their career, and the qualifications that they will need. It leads to 24 credit equivalents at Level 3 for NCEA and qualifies for University Entrance through the Young Enterprise Certificate and appropriate unit standards.

In addition, the business plans and presentations by the students of their businesses to judges enables a regional winner to be selected. The Counties Manukau Regional Awards, a glamour evening is scheduled this year to be held at Villa Maria Estate on Friday 12th October 2007. The regional winner will be announced on that night and goes on to represent Counties Manukau at the national awards in Wellington on Wednesday 31st October 2007.

Last year's regional winner SPFX NZ from Pukekohe High School was placed third overall company of the year at the national awards in Wellington.

ENDS

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