Over 100 students from seven secondary schools and 30 primary school pupils have taken part in a borough wide enterprise day to build business skills and team co-operation.
The day was held at Middleton Arena, with budding entrepeneurs being tasked to design an educational toy or game by working in teams from across the different schools. The event was supported by local businesses, who assigned a mentor to each team to help the pupils come up with a business and marketing plan.
Many of the teams constructed a "prototype" product using material supplied on the day, giving the judges the unenviable task of trying to decide on the best one! The products were scored against a range of criteria including innovation, suitability for the age group and overall design.
The winning team designed a game which they named "I- learn", an interactive product focussing on the core subjects of Maths, English and Science. The game won due to it's wide appeal and ability to used in a variety of formats including iPod and Wii. The judges commented that they were highly impressed with the product's design and adaptability for different age groups.
Penny Sharp, Head of Regeneration said it was an excellent opportunity for pupils to work together, developing key business skills: “The exercise was challenging as they had only a few hours to develop the product and then present the concept to the judging panel. I congratulate everybody who took part, and hope they found the experience useful. This is the first time we have involved primary school pupils and is something we will consider again in the future.”
