Young people need experience of the world and working businesses before they are able to make the decisions of their career paths.   They need to know how the business world works through direct experience.  Young Enterprise is a major UK Educational Charity with connections across the globe.   They provide a unique learning experience for young people.  The organisation allows students to learn about their own personal skills as well as how businesses work.

Students are able to improve in a wide range of skills such as personal planning, dealing with other people and team building.  Young Enterprise delivers a range of programmes to young people at primary, secondary and college/university level.  One of these programmes is the Company Programme and is aimed at 15-19 year old students.  This programme has been used at Malbank High School and 6th Form College and Reaseheath College where students' companies have gone on to win prizes.

The programme allows the students to set up and run their own businesses for a year.  Through this they are able to see how a real business progresses. The business they create goes through the entire cycle from the identification of a business opportunity, business planning, marketing, production, and accounting and to perhaps making a profit.

A school which is introducing the Company Programme for the first time this year is Ruskin Sports College.

The organisation has many volunteers who help to deliver the programmes to the students.  Volunteers for the Company Programme act as Business Advisors for the students' own businesses.  They act as management consultants and offer advice and guidance to help the young people run their businesses.  The volunteers at the organisation are very important as they are needed to make the experiences of the business world for the students happen.

More volunteers are needed at Young Enterprise so that more schools and students can benefit from the experience.

Volunteers are needed by the Young Enterprise to:

• help with various programmes
• help to organise events
• help to manage the organisation

Young Enterprise is looking for volunteers who have some business experience, although volunteers are not necessarily expected to have experience of running their own business.  All aspects of working in the business or industry can allow volunteers to offer an invaluable advice to the students.  For instance, shop workers can offer advice on merchandising and customer service.