Young Entrepreneurs: Building Skills for the Future
Duration: 10 weeks (1 hour per week)
Age Group: Year 7 (11-12 years old)
Objective: To introduce students to the concept of entrepreneurship, develop key enterprise skills, and inspire them to think creatively about solving real-world problems.
Project Overview
This 10-week project will provide Year 7 students with a foundational understanding of entrepreneurship and the skills needed to start a business. Using the Barclays LifeSkills lesson plans and resources from the Virgin Money’s Make-5-Grow Resource Hub, students will explore key concepts such as creativity, problem-solving, teamwork, and resilience. The project will culminate in the development of a business idea, which will be pitched in the following academic year.
Weekly Breakdown
Week 1: Introduction to Entrepreneurship
Objective: Understand what it means to be enterprising and identify key skills needed for entrepreneurship.
- Activity:
- Ice-breaker: "What does enterprise mean to you?" (5 mins)
- Group discussion: What skills do entrepreneurs need? (10 mins)
- Presentation: Overview of entrepreneurship using slides from Putting Enterprise Skills into Action (15 mins)
- Interactive activity: Match skills to enterprise ingredients (e.g., creativity, problem-solving, leadership) (20 mins)
- Reflection: Students write down one skill they want to develop during the project (10 mins)
Resources:
- Putting Enterprise Skills into Action slides (Activity 1)
- Skills Builder Framework (optional)
Week 2: Creativity and Idea Generation
Objective: Explore the role of creativity in entrepreneurship and practice generating innovative ideas.
- Activity:
- Ice-breaker: "What if?" game (e.g., "What if we could travel to school in a new way?") (10 mins)
- Group activity: Brainstorm new uses for everyday objects (e.g., a ruler, a plastic bottle) (20 mins)
- Discussion: How can creativity solve real-world problems? (10 mins)
- Individual task: Students sketch or write down one creative idea for a product or service (15 mins)
Resources:
- Innovation and Idea Generation lesson plan (Activity 1)
- Everyday objects for brainstorming
Week 3: Problem-Solving and Market Research
Objective: Learn how to identify problems and conduct basic market research.
- Activity:
- Introduction: What is market research? (10 mins)
- Group activity: Identify a problem in the school or local community (e.g., litter, lack of recycling bins) (15 mins)
- Practical task: Design a simple survey or interview questions to gather feedback on the problem (20 mins)
- Reflection: Why is understanding your audience important? (10 mins)
Resources:
- Putting Enterprise Skills into Action interactive tool (Activity 2)
- Survey templates from Make-5-Grow Resource Hub
Week 4: Planning and Budgeting
Objective: Understand the basics of planning and budgeting for a business idea.
- Activity:
- Introduction: What is a budget? Why is it important? (10 mins)
- Group activity: Create a simple budget for a hypothetical business (e.g., a school tuck shop) (20 mins)
- Discussion: Needs vs. wants in budgeting (10 mins)
- Reflection: What challenges might arise when planning a business? (10 mins)
Resources:
- Putting Enterprise Skills into Action interactive tool (Activity 2)
- Budgeting templates from Make-5-Grow Resource Hub
Week 5: Building a Team
Objective: Explore the importance of teamwork and identifying transferable skills.
- Activity:
- Ice-breaker: "What skills do you bring to a team?" (10 mins)
- Group activity: Role-play forming a team for a business project (e.g., assign roles like CEO, marketer, designer) (20 mins)
- Discussion: How can teamwork help overcome challenges? (10 mins)
- Reflection: What skills do you need to develop to work well in a team? (10 mins)
Resources:
- Putting Enterprise Skills into Action interactive tool (Activity 2)
- Teamwork exercises from Make-5-Grow Resource Hub
Week 6: Persuading Others (Pitching Ideas)
Objective: Learn how to communicate ideas effectively and persuade others.
- Activity:
- Introduction: What makes a good pitch? (10 mins)
- Group activity: Practice pitching a simple idea (e.g., a new school club) (20 mins)
- Discussion: What makes a pitch convincing? (10 mins)
- Reflection: What skills are needed to persuade others? (10 mins)
Resources:
- Putting Enterprise Skills into Action interactive tool (Activity 2)
- Pitching tips from Make-5-Grow Resource Hub
Week 7: Overcoming Challenges
Objective: Develop resilience and problem-solving skills to overcome business challenges.
- Activity:
- Introduction: What challenges do entrepreneurs face? (10 mins)
- Group activity: Brainstorm solutions to common business problems (e.g., lack of customers, budget issues) (20 mins)
- Discussion: How can you stay positive when facing challenges? (10 mins)
- Reflection: What challenges have you overcome in your own life? (10 mins)
Resources:
- Putting Enterprise Skills into Action interactive tool (Activity 2)
- Problem-solving exercises from Make-5-Grow Resource Hub
Week 8: Real-World Briefs
Objective: Apply enterprise skills to a real-world problem.
- Activity:
- Introduction: What is a real-world brief? (10 mins)
- Group activity: Work in teams to solve a local business or community problem (e.g., improving a local park) (30 mins)
- Reflection: How can your ideas make a difference? (10 mins)
Resources:
- Putting Enterprise Skills into Action real-world briefs (Activity 4)
- Case studies from Make-5-Grow Resource Hub
Week 9: Refining Ideas
Objective: Develop and refine business ideas based on feedback.
- Activity:
- Group activity: Review and improve ideas from Week 8 (30 mins)
- Discussion: How can feedback help you improve your ideas? (10 mins)
- Reflection: What have you learned about the importance of iteration? (10 mins)
Resources:
- Innovation and Idea Generation lesson plan (Activity 2)
- Feedback templates from Make-5-Grow Resource Hub
Week 10: Reflection and Next Steps
Objective: Reflect on learning and plan for future development.
- Activity:
- Group discussion: What have you learned about entrepreneurship? (20 mins)
- Individual task: Write a personal action plan for developing enterprise skills (20 mins)
- Reflection: How can you use these skills in the future? (10 mins)
Resources:
- Putting Enterprise Skills into Action lesson plan (Activity 4)
- Personal development templates from Make-5-Grow Resource Hub
Additional Notes:
- Assessment: Students will be assessed through participation, group activities, and their final reflection.
- Resources: All resources can be accessed via the Make-5-Grow Resource Hub and the attached lesson plans.
- Next Steps: In the following year, students will participate in a pitch day to present their business ideas.
This project will equip Year 7 students with foundational enterprise skills, fostering creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving, while inspiring them to think like entrepreneurs.