College Gains National Recognition for Chamber-Supported Global Entrepreneurship Week Activities

Castle Manor Business & Enterprise College has been awarded the High Impact Badge of Honour to acknowledge the important contribution they are making to Global Entrepreneurship.

The award has been given by Global Entrepreneurship Week organisers Youth Business International to recognise the activities, supported by Haverhill Chamber of Commerce, which will take place this week to encourage youngsters to tap into their entrepreneurial spirit. There are seven confirmed events for Global Entrepreneurship Week in Suffolk, with five of these in Haverhill.

Global Entrepreneurship Week is sponsored by RBS Group and is now in its seventh year. Each year more than 100 countries take part in thousands of events to mark the Week. The High Impact ‘Badge of Honour ‘is awarded to highlight the best events and the events have to meet a strict criteria.

Matt Bryant, Enterprise Co-ordinator, said: “We are so proud to receive this award and it recognises the staff, students, Haverhill Chamber, and businesses who have worked so hard to pull this all together.”

There will be a week-long (14-18 November)competition at Castle Manor, based on the TV series The Apprentice, during which students will take part in a series of challenges before facing Haverhill’s very own Alan Sugar in the boardroom. Each day a student will be ‘fired’ leaving an overall winner who will take home an IPAD.

On Monday 14 November, Year 7 students from both Castle Manor and Samuel Ward will take part in a Production Line competition during which they work together to create the most efficient production line out of stickle bricks.

Students from Castle Manor, Samuel Ward, and other secondary schools in the area, will take part in a Dragons Den style competition (Tuesday 15 November) based on the TV series in which teams pitch an idea to four ‘Dragons’ including two from local businesses.  Three prizes will be given for Highest Investment, Best Pitch and Most Innovative Idea. This year teams will have to come up with a green social enterprise business idea.

On Wednesday 16 November, Haverhill Young Chamber Coordinator Tim Kerr, will run a career speed dating event for Year 8 students at Castle Manor and then Samuel Ward which will see students meet local business people on a one-to-one basis to find out what they do for a living and why.

Haverhill Young Chamber, which includes students from Castle Manor and Samuel Ward, will meet on Thursday (17 November) to find out How to Start a Business in an all day workshop run by Tim Kerr which will also see the youngsters come up with their own business idea and work on it with the help of professionals.

On Friday, the enterprising students will be running their own activities to raise money for Children in Need.