Following a visit to a Young Enterprise Trade Fair at the weekend, Amanda Milling, MP for Cannock Chase raised the profile of this local initiative at Prime Minister's Questions this week.
The initiative and event organised by South and East Staffordshire Young Enterprise was held at the Market Hall in Burton upon Trent on Saturday and saw teams from local schools showcase to the public their business ideas. Cannock Chase was well represented with a team from Rugeley Sixth Form Academy taking part as well as nearby Chase Terrace Technology College.
Amanda was so impressed by the event, the teams and their ideas that she used Prime Minister's Questions to raise the profile of the programme asking the Prime Minister to wish the teams luck and getting his endorsement for initiatives such as this.
Amanda said: "I am a strong advocate for any initiatives which give young people an insight into the world of business. The Young Enterprise Staffordshire programme gives young people the opportunity to set up and run a real business for a year with guidance from a business volunteer. I was incredibly impressed by all of the teams taking part and really pleased to see local schools from the Chase area represented - so much so I wanted to raise the profile of this programme in Prime Minister's Questions."
In response to Amanda's question the Prime Minister recognised the importance of promoting enterprise in schools and the role it plays in inspiring the next generation of business leaders.
Amanda added: "I believe that initiatives like Young Enterprise are absolutely key to inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs - giving the skills and imagination to succeed. Cannock Chase has recently been leading the way in Staffordshire in terms of the number of new businesses starting up, but we must make sure that we give young people the opportunities to develop the right skills so that they can continue this trend for years to come. This is important for the future of our young people, our local area and our country. I would like to wish all of the teams taking part the very best of luck in the competition and I look forward to hearing about which team wins."
The programme will conclude with the winners of the competition being announced at a Presentation Finals evening on Wednesday 23 March at the Garrick Theatre in Lichfield.