You’re hired!

MAKING a sale . . . shopper Wendy Booth with St Hugh’s pupils (from left) Kyle Dalton, Courtney Chadwick, Megan Shaw and Connor Boyle

Junior apprentices make their mark on the business world

LORD Sugar had better watch out . . . a talented new crop of junior apprentices are in the market for business success.

Pupils from nine primary schools took part in the Business Challenge which saw them design, finance, manufacture and market a unique product to sell to the public — just like on Sugar’s hit BBC show.

Youngsters set up stall at Tesco’s Huddersfield Road store and sold their goods to shoppers with all proceeds going to a charity of their choice.

Schools which took part were St Thomas’s, Leesfield; Greenacres Primary; Littlemoor Primary; Watersheddings Primary; Burnley Brow Community School, Chadderton; Delph Primary; St Anne’s RC, Greenacres; St Hugh’s, Holts Village; and St Mary’s, Greenfield.

Each team received a £75 start-up loan for their business from the PTA which was paid back as soon as profits were made.

Children organised themselves into teams for sales, production, design, marketing, quality control and accounts under the leadership of a managing director.

Caroline Ireland, head teacher at both Greenacres Primary and St Thomas’s, Leesfield, said: “It all went really well and boosted the children’s confidence as they approached strangers in a bid to sell as many products as possible.

“This was a real life experience for them and they have controlled every stage from coming up with the idea to selling it. They have loved every minute of it and selling goods gives them a real boost.”

Mystery shoppers and judges visited each of the stalls on Friday and awarded marks for presentation, sales pitch, business plan and product.

First place went to St Hugh’s Primary, closely followed by Burnley Brow Community School and Greenacres Primary.