Hull students learn new business skills as they try to make £5 blossom

Hull City Council have set Hull students the challenge of making £5 blossom.

The programme has been relaunched in partnership with the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank (JCYEB), working alongside local businesses.

As part of the programme, a school is loaned £150 from a business and encouraged to make it grow, whilst learning about the Big 13 Enterprise Skills – these skills were first developed in Rotherham through the work of Jackie Frost, a Vice President of the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank. The skills offer something that will be useful for the pupils in later life, so they can be enterprising employees and or even own their own business.

At the end of the programme, the schools taking part will present what they have done and explained their enterprising journey to an invited audience in the Guildhall and outline what they will be doing with the profits they make.

Chloe Beet, Enterprise Lead at Gillshill Primary said: "We were invited to St Stephens Shopping Centre by our business partner, Ruth Truelove and we were then given a backstage tour of St Stephens. We learnt so much about how the different retailers operate, the job roles of different staff members and how environmentally conscious they are.

“We were even given a special backstage pass to the security control room where we could see all of the live CCTV footage in St Stephens. We finally visited some shops to purchase items needed for our £5 Blossom project. We are enjoying working with our business partner and our Enterprise team."

Ruth Truelove BEM Finance Manager of St Stephens Shopping Centre said: "As a company, we have a commitment to the city of Hull and enjoy getting involved in activities and programmes that raise children's aspirations.

“We have been involved in £5 Blossom which is run by Hull City Council since it started over 15 years ago. We have enjoyed every minute of it, working with schools across Hull. The most rewarding part for me is when the young people put their enterprising ideas into action and illustrate how they have used the Big 13 Enterprise Skills that they have learnt about.

“We loved having the pupils in from Gillshill Primary School and are delighted that they will be celebrating their involvement over the years in Global Entrepreneurship Week in the £5 Blossom Programme and how they use the Big 13 Enterprise Skills in the school."

Councillor Paul Drake-Davis, the Portfolio Holder for Regeneration at Hull City Council said: "Hull City Council, working with partners, businesses and schools have a commitment to ensure more young people understand the world of work in general and business in particular. By working together, we can nurture in our young people the importance of enterprise in their lives.

“It is important that young people learn new skills and the Big 13 Enterprise Skills certainly inspire them to be more enterprising and I have no doubt many will become business owners in the future.

“I look forward to finding out more about what Gillshill Primary School have learnt at the Celebration of Big 13 Enterprise Skills that is to take place in November as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week."