A team of IoD volunteers recreated TV show Dragons’ Den when they attended a recent Enterprise Day!
Around 180 Year 8 students at Linton Village College teamed up and became entrepreneurs – creating, developing and pitching their innovative business ideas to IoD members.
The aim was to give each student experience of the skills and behaviours necessary to be successful in business and work. For those who want to become an entrepreneur, the exercise helped them to understand their own strengths and areas for development.
Along with volunteers from the IoD, we were thrilled to have Alex Hughes from Shifties with us too. The Shifties community have been fantastic champions of our Enterprise Day events – and it was great to see students learning about and engaging with entrepreneurship.
Sadia Ahmed said:
“Over the years as a business leader I have seen growing concern over sustainability issues but for me, sustainability within a business context is not just environmental sustainability. It is the combined triple bottom line Planet, People and Profit that truly makes a business ‘sustainable. A big part of the People element is ensuring sustainability of talent. Directors need to look beyond the borders of their business, to go further and inspire the next generation, nurture talent early and help build the pipeline.
“What better way to do this than engaging with schools, universities and grass roots organisations? How better to introduce people, particularly young people, to the world of business than to get out there and take your experience and enthusiasm to them? A day of your time could spark something for a young person and at the very least give a memorable experience to them (and you!).”
Richard Holdaway, IoD senior branch manager for the East of England, said:
“The feedback from both members and the school has been amazing and we’re delighted with the response and support from our members.”
The ‘dragons’ team has accepted an invitation to another pitching event at the Joyce Frankland Academy on 12th July – and we’ll look forward to welcoming them back!
To find out more about volunteering with Form the Future, and to register, click here.
