Winning Highland pupils off to Young Enterprise Scotland finals
Senior pupils from Fortrose Academy were applauded today following their presentation to the Care, Learning and Housing Committee about their experiences leading to securing the Company of the Year accolade at the Highland and Moray regional finals of the Young Enterprise Scotland (YES) Company Programme back in March.
The team, who trade as Venture, devised a simple board game credited with bridging the generation gap and helping to tackle loneliness. The game has a spinner function and sparks conversation on a variety of topics between players. Pupils used their idea with senior citizens across the Black Isle and attend regular board game sessions at their school.
The Venture team also won awards for production and development, innovation, marketing and communications, financial management and the best company report.
Team members Andrew Orr and Ellie Mann also picked up individual prizes in the Entrepreneurship category.
Venture will travel to Edinburgh on 5 June to represent the Highland and Moray area at the YES national finals.
Following their success the team are also being considered for a Social Enterprise in Education Award and will be attending the Social Enterprise Academy Awards this afternoon at Eden Court.
Councillor John Finlayson, Chair of Highland Council’s Care, Learning and Housing committee, said: “Learning how academic skills connect to real business opportunities has been an invaluable experience for the pupils who created Venture. They have succeeded in creating ideas and opportunities for themselves and the broader community in a constructive and supportive way. Developing entrepreneurial skills and running a business helps youngsters to navigate challenges head-on and it is very pleasing to see how this fantastic group of pupils have mastered the confidence to speak and interact confidently with others.”
The Young Enterprise Scotland Company Programme for Highland and Moray runs in partnership with local schools to encourage young people to experience the challenges of running a business.
Links to the pupils Venture company website and Facebook page are below https://www.fortroseventure.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/fortroseventure/