At the beginning of the Autumn Term, Year 12 pupils from the Girls' Division took part in a Business Enterprise & Awareness Training day, run by Brian Muir from BEAT, as part of their induction programme.  This included various interactive sessions as an introduction to the business world.  Seminars delivered by volunteer speakers from a range of commercial organisations ensured that the course had up-to-date business input and expertise covering tasks relating to human resources, management, marketing and sales, production and problem solving. The girls undertook all the tasks with enthusiasm, developing and honing personal skills and qualities that will be needed in the competitive business world of the future. Most sessions ended by the students making short presentations to their peers, providing good grounding for the impending business competition. 

Following this day students formed teams of six to develop prospective new businesses.  Ideas for a new product or service were formed, business plans and financial forecasts developed, all with a view to asking a local bank for a business loan to set up their new business. Throwing themselves in the Bolton School version of The Dragons' Den each group, towards the end of the Autumn Term, made a ten-minute presentation, backed up by a PowerPoint presentation, to a panel of judges.  Business ideas ranged from a service to match students with suitable work experience placements to producing stationery from recycled paper and selling accessories on-line.

Although only five teams with the most viable business propositions are selected to compete in the Girls’ Division final at the beginning of February, all our pupils enjoyed and gained much from the opportunity to practise interpersonal and work-related skills. Two teams are then chosen to compete with two teams from the Boys’ Division for the Langtree Homes Enterprise Trophy.  This year the two teams that won through to the final were Accessories Online and Ladders. 

We are very grateful to Langtree Homes Ltd for sponsoring the Enterprise Trophy

We would also like to thank BEAT, Barclays Bank, BT, Milliken Industrials, PricewaterhouseCoopers and IBM who support our events by supplying delegates, mentors and judges.