Young Enterprise Regional Final 2024

Background

For over 60 years, Young Enterprise has empowered and transformed young people’s futures across the UK. Its flagship company programme challenges young people to set up and manage a student company, building practical business experience and key skills.

In recent years, PryceWilliams has partnered closely with the charity, as sponsors, judges, ambassadors and business mentors. The charity shares our values of ensuring that the next generations are equipped with the necessary skills to be successful in their chosen careers.

Approach

In May 2024, PryceWilliams was invited to judge the regional finals alongside sponsoring the award for Teamwork, a skill that is imperative to consulting and is transferable across businesses and industries.

Five teams were involved in the Yorkshire and the Humber finals. The day consisted of viewing the team trade stands, team interviews, team presentations, guest speakers and the award ceremony.

Analysis

The Young Enterprise representatives, Jill Tinsley (North East & Yorkshire and Humber Regional Manager) and Amir Hafidh (Education Partnerships Manager – West Yorkshire) welcomed all involved to the Guildhall in York.

The judges first took time to familiarise themselves with the company reports which provided an insight into the team’s businesses and their team journeys.

Next, the judges viewed the trade stalls, and the teams had the chance to bring their products to life while presenting their journey and achievements. Here, their enthusiasm shone through and showcased the programme’s positive impact.

The team interviews were reminiscent of Dragon’s Den. Teams were quizzed on their motivations, successes and challenges. They all held their nerve and confidently talked through their businesses.

The teams then delivered sleek and well-rehearsed presentations, with all team members contributing. The messaging was clear, and some incorporated a video element to enhance their pitch.

Narrowing down the teams to the overall winner, runner up and specific category awards was no easy task given the quality of the companies on show.

Two Young Enterprise alumni shared their experiences before the awards ceremony. The first discussed using the programme as a platform to go to university and gain an internship at the Walt Disney Company. The second spoke about drawing on skills from the programme during their apprenticeship and into their career at GlaxoSmithKline.

The day finished with the awards ceremony, where PryceWilliams presented the Financial Management Award to Cardinal Crafts of Cardinal Hulme Catholic School and the Teamwork Award to Love Reclaimed from Pocklington School.

Conclusions

Since partnering with Young Enterprise, we have seen the positive impact that it has on the development and aspirations of young people. Our involvement in the competition reinforced this as we witnessed firsthand the effort put in by the students. The interviews and presentations demonstrated the journey that each team had been on and displayed the skills and attributes which they can take forward in life.

Recommendations

We would encourage anybody passionate about empowering young people to support initiatives such as the Young Enterprise. This could be through contributing your time as a mentor or via financial contribution, such as sponsoring an award.

Get Involved

If you would like to get involved, contact Jill Tinsley at Young Enterprise here:
jill.tinsley@y-e.org.uk