The Company of Entrepreneurs is very proud of its work with secondary schools, and the Education Committee was delighted to have been asked to support the award-winning Future Leaders Programme at an event in East London on 3rd March, 2022.
 
Court Assistant David Mellor (Chair of Education) and Freeman Adam Morallee, accompanied by the Clerk, were panellists at an evening session held at Woodbridge High School to talk about their experiences of higher education and entrepreneurship, and the work of the Company of Entrepreneurs.

© Future Leaders Programme 

Chaired energetically by Future Leaders Founder Faheem Khan, the panel addressed issues such as barriers in education and in professions, and challenges around self-belief and imposter syndrome. The audience of over a hundred year 12 students was particularly keen to hear about the challenges and opportunities of entrepreneurship – learning much from Adam and David’s own experiences of starting and growing successful businesses.

© Future Leaders Programme

 
The Clerk spoke about the role of the Company of Entrepreneurs, and the Company of Entrepreneurs Trust – drawing particular attention to the support for business education and enterprise skills through grants both to individuals and institutions.

'Enterprise education is so important for young people. It teaches them the skills they need to be successful in a range of careers and in so many aspects of their lives. This is particularly important for disadvantaged young people who may not have had a chance to develop these skills. This is why we are so grateful to the Company of Entrepreneurs who delivered an engaging and informative talk on the opportunities of entrepreneurship to our disadvantaged young people from 60 schools across East London.' (Faheem Khan, Founding Director) 

The students were equally as enthusiastic about the event with their comments !

"You were very inspirational as you emphasised that it isn’t necessary to know what you want to do so early on and that people shouldn’t feel pressured to want to pick a path so early on in their life. This was very inspiring and eye-opening and made me feel more at ease."

"I really enjoyed listening to the different aspects of entrepreneurship and what it takes to do the jobs you do. It was very insightful to hear about your stories and the different skills you developed over the time from being in university to being a key leader in a company. Thank you."

Future Leaders runs programmes that develop young people’s skills, confidence and aspirations, and the valuable work that it does was very apparent from the high quality of engagement and questions. Finishing late in the evening, there could be no doubt about the determination of the students to maximise the experience, and the panellists agreed that they had had an excellent time as guests of Future Leaders.
 
 
NOTES: Future Leaders Programme is an accredited and award-winning extra-curricular enhancement for year 12 students in Redbridge, Newnham, Waltham Forest, Tower Hamlets, and Barking & Dagenham. It is supported by the Drapers’ Company, Queen Mary University of London, and the Mayor of London. It aims to support young people by giving them access to opportunities they may not otherwise have, increasing their long-term prosperity, and improving their life chances.
 
The Education Committee of the Company of Entrepreneurs is actively looking for volunteers to support the Company’s education partners and programmes. Co-ordinated by the Committee, Freemen Entrepreneurs can give their time, talents, and experience to opportunities in secondary schools across London and the South East. For more information, please contact the Clerk.
 
Every year, the Company of Entrepreneurs Trust makes thousands of pounds’ worth of grants to individuals, organisations and charities to advance academic and practical skills in business and entrepreneurship. The deadline for applications for 2023 grants is 30th September 2022. This is particularly relevant to Y12 students considering enrolling on business-related courses at university in September 2023, and undergraduates looking to move on to postgraduate programmes.
 
If you are 
•    a school, college or university looking to provide bursaries/scholarships in business studies, or to provide extra-curricular entrepreneurship or business simulation classes; or 
•    a charity or other organisation that supports/promotes young enterprise, social enterprise, or other forms of early-stage businesses; or 
•    a promising student considering business studies at undergraduate or postgraduate level (e.g. MBA), but anxious about course fees or living costs
 
then please visit https://guildofentrepreneurstrust.org/beneficiary-applications/ for more information about grants and a straightforward online application form. Applications need not be very detailed at this stage – a simple outline of your position and circumstances is all that is required to begin the process.