On Wednesday, 29th June Mansfield Market Place will host schools from across the area in the Junior Enterprise competition.

Teams of year 9 pupils from each school will participate in the competition and are responsible for setting up their own business, from deciding on a product, to conducting market research to managing budgets to selling their wares.

The competition was the brainchild of local businessman Malcolm Hall, from Hall Fast and Berni Dickinson, Marketing and Enterprise Director for the Evolve Trust.

Mrs Dickinson said: “We wanted to develop a competition that offered youngsters the opportunity to develop their entrepreneurial skills of tenacity, independence, imagination, risk taking, intuition and leadership. We want them to be able to take the things they learn into their futures and hopefully inspire them to become the business owners of our future.”

The schools taking part include Garibaldi College, Kirkby College, All Saints’ Catholic Voluntary Academy, Sutton Academy and the Beech Academy. Products on sale will include candles, bags and garden products.

The students will be honoured in an awards ceremony that will take place at Mansfield Town Football Club on 6th July and one of the teams will win the £500 prize money.

Russell Jones, Chairman of Mansfield 2020 and Partner of Fidler and Pepper, added: “We are proud to sponsor the 2016 Junior Enterprise event and give local students the opportunity to develop their independence, creativity and leadership skills. Going through the whole process from setting up a new business to making the product and then marketing it is a unique experience and we hope that this will inspire students and help them to think about their future aims and opportunities.”

The Junior Enterprise competition wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the Linney Group, Mansfield 2020, Pendragon PLC, Mansfield District Council, Hall Fast Industrial Supplies, B Jephson Ltd, Mansfield Town Football Club and Fiddler and Pepper.