James McCreary is director of Young Enterprise London, a registered charity that aims to promote and develop entrepreneurship in schools, with the support of businesses and volunteers.

James McCreary is director of Young Enterprise London, a registered charity that aims to promote and develop entrepreneurship in schools, with the support of businesses and volunteers.

Who are the programmes aimed at?
We provide entrepreneurship education for young people from the age of 4-24 years. We aim to involve volunteers from the business sector to help deliver all programmes, working in partnership with teachers and lecturers. We also want to encourage those involved to link their Young Enterprise experience to their personal development, where appropriate.

How can companies get involved?
There are a range of options available. Our flagship scheme is the Company Programme, where people aged 15-19 set up and run their own company over the course of one academic year, with advice from business volunteers. There are also Entrepreneurship Masterclasses, run as one-day seminars and six one-hour sessions called Project Business, which are presented in-curriculum by a volunteer business partner and supported by a teacher partner.

What’s in it for employers?
The potential for training. One manager who participated was doing well in her job, but her figures had levelled off, as if she was coasting. She came across Young Enterprise and it encouraged her to become motivated and more focused on her work. It also gives employees a real buzz.

Who are the programmes most suited to?
Those aspiring to management – many of those employers who take part are middle managers or in the lower rungs of management. If someone’s on the verge of blossoming from a business perspective or would like to improve their personal development, then Young Enterprise gives them the opportunity to practise skills that they need to pick up. You bring your own flavour to the programme.

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