Have an 'Enterprising Week'

Enterprise Week began today (November 15) with the emphasis on kick starting an entrepreneurial culture among the young by giving them 'the opportunity and inspiration to turn their ideas into reality'.

Enterprise Week is part of a wider national drive to encourage those in their teens and 20s to start new businesses, improve their communities or develop new ideas within their existing organisations.

Enterprise Week is co-ordinated by Enterprise Insight, a wide coalition of business organisations, and has strong support from Government, including the backing of the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Patricia Hewitt.

More than 1000 events and initiatives ranging from national conferences to local discussion sessions will take place during the week. They will encourage awareness and debate about the importance of enterprise and let young people make their ideas happen.

Small Business Minister, Nigel Griffiths, said: "Enterprise Week will provide a unique focus through which we can encourage our young people to recognise and use their talent to become the next generation of entrepreneurs.

"The campaign can have a positive impact for us all. New businesses boost our economy, social enterprises stimulate enriched, sustainable communities and enterprising employees revitalise organisations.

"Our economy and our society can be so much stronger if we released all the dynamism and creativity of our young people. Our goal is to inspire the young to believe in their own entrepreneurial potential and make their mark."

Funding

The Small Business Service, an agency of the DTI, has provided Enterprise Insight with financial support of £0.75 million over this year and then a further total of £10 million up to 2008. The funding is intended to help the campaign go from strength to strength and make a lasting difference in changing young people's attitudes to enterprise. The campaign aims by 2008 to double the proportion of 14 to 25 year-olds who aspire to start their own venture from the present level of 15 per cent up to 30 per cent.

There are a number of events planned to mark 'Enterprise Week' including:

• Secretary of State, Patricia Hewitt will make a keynote speech alongside the Chancellor at the Enterprising Britain Policy Summit in London at which opinion-formers and leading practitioners from across the private, public and voluntary sectors will discuss how to promote enterprise in schools, colleges, universities, towns and regions.
  
• Small Business Minister Nigel Griffiths will attend a Young Cooperatives Fairtrade 50 campaign in Newcastle.
  
• Nigel Griffiths will speak to Changemakers, a major event designed to celebrate the achievements of young people engaged in social enterprise. He will also be attending a UKTEN conference in Birmingham.
  
• Martin Wyn Griffiths, SBS chief executive, will be visiting Business Link organised events and presenting awards at the Trading Places and Inner City 100 Awards
  
• DTI Minister, Jacqui Smith will address the Everywoman Conference as part of the Enterprise Week focus on women's enterprise.
  
• The final of Enterprise Insight's Enterprising Young Brits competition, which will be held in London
  
• Footballer Alan Shearer will run a "set your goals" session in a Young Enterprise Masterclass for 400 students at Newcastle FC on 15 November.
  
• A "Directors of Tomorrow" conference for 800 12-25 year olds will be run by the IoD in Manchester.
  
• A programme to encourage young disabled people into enterprise will be launched.
  
• A 24-hour internet Enterprise Olympics competition for school teams in 17 countries will be launched in London by the British-born Commander of the International Space Station, astronaut Michael Foale.
  
• An Armed Forces Enterprise Event will be run in Harrogate for 600 15-25 year-olds.
  
• The Royal Navy will teach enterprise skills through a "Build a Boat" challenge for ten teams of engineering students in Scunthorpe.
  
• Business Start-Up is London's largest start-up event which will be part of Enterprise Week this year, which will include a young people's zone.
  
• Short films on entrepreneurs will be screened on Channel 4.