All Year 12 pupils spend three days at Patterdale Hall in the Lake District on the Business Awareness course, run by Brian Muir from BEAT (Business Enterprise & Awareness Training). The aim of the programme is to introduce pupils to the concepts behind commerce and business and to practise the skills required to survive both in the world of work and in an enterprise situation. Representatives from companies such as Coca-Cola, Milliken Industrials, United Utilities, PricewaterhouseCoopers and BT are invited to give a series of engaging seminars on topics such as Sales, Production, Marketing and Management. Pupils are confronted by a range of problem-solving and group tasks - the most challenging (and competitive!) of which requires them to design a raft to transport an egg down the rocky rapids of Grisedale Beck.

Teaching staff run a skills training event, designed to introduce pupils to the types of tasks used by graduate recruiters, such as group discussions, giving a mini talk as well as practising telephone and interview skills.

The focus of the course is the individual group PowerPoint presentation of an e-business plan. The two best groups chosen from the Boys' Division take their ideas forward and compete against two teams from the Girls’ Division in the final of the Business Competition, sponsored by Langtree Homes.

BEAT is a superb opportunity for pupils to broaden their vocational awareness and transferable skills required for success in the world of work.