Hull says hello to enterprise in 2007

“To get where you want to be, you have to take charge, go for it and not be afraid” Jade Corrie, Student, Wyke College Sixth Form

“Young people need to see and experience the real-life impacts of a can-do attitude.” Alan Johnson MP, Patron of the Hull Youth Enterprise Partnership

Hull got a taste of the exotic when the High Commissioner of Mauritius came to town during Enterprise Week 2007, while young apprentices honed their entrepreneurial talents with local business people.

The Hull Youth Enterprise Partnership coordinated a series of exciting activities across the city which got young people talking about enterprise and coming up with inspired business ideas of their own.

Children from 21 of the city’s primary schools started thinking about the global face of enterprise after they heard first-hand from Abhimanu Kundasamy, the High Commissioner of Mauritius, about exports and imports, where their food comes from and the people who produce it. Afterwards they learnt more about international trading using imaginary products, including fruit, gold and oil, from around the world.

Secondary school pupils rolled their sleeves up for an Entrepreneurship Masterclass. They met and chatted to local role models, who spoke about their experiences and showed them that with a bit of imagination and creativity they too could make their ideas a reality.

Working in groups young apprentices developed business plans and presented them back to a panel of local business leaders. They then heard from local entrepreneurs including winner of TV’s Deal or No Deal, Mally Welburn, about how they had built up successful businesses.