GMSA Supports Enterprising Teens

School children in Manchester could soon have all the answers to Britain’s economic crisis - after they were introduced to the ups and downs, thrills and spills of business through a new Monopoly style board game.

Local teenagers were far from bored as youngsters from six schools across Greater Manchester played The Enterprise Game. St Peter’s Roman Catholic High School in Longsight played host, giving children an insight into the world of work – and hopefully unearthing the next Richard Branson.

The game is sponsored by the Greater Manchester Strategic Alliance, a partnership of all the local colleges and universities, as well as the Greater Manchester Learning Provider Network, numerous other training providers and businesses such as Natwest, Manchester Airport and JJB Fitness.

Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne has thrown his weight behind the idea of teaching children about business through the game. He said: “The Enterprise Game captures the essence of what business is all about – making, selling and delivering what customers want. I wish I had invented it.”

Haider Ali 14, is a student at Loreto High School and was one future business mogul selected to participate in the big game on Friday 27 February. He said: “It’s wicked; I love this game. From being a little poor person at the start I’m now the richest man here.”

Zia Saddique, 14, from St Peter’s High School, said the game had given him the entrepreneurial bug: “It’s a real challenge but what we have learnt today will help us later in life. I want to go to college and university – after today I might do a business course. Then I want to run my own electronics company.”

Students were tested at the start and end of the day to gage how much they had learned about business. There was a 67 percent increase in their understanding and knowledge of business terminology. During the game itself, the average student increased the value of their business by 15 percent.

Mr Johnson, Head of Business and Enterprise at St Peter’s school, said: “All the different schools have come together in the spirit of collaborative working. We have all got the same message and want to help these kids get a sense of the real world. It brings the classroom to life and gives them the right skills to progress upwards.”