Pupils graduate from innovative Mini MBA programme
Year 12 pupils have graduated from a Mini MBA programme that saw them hone their business and research skills on an Eco Social Enterprise project.
A group of 24 pupils from the school participated in a two-week programme working within local businesses to provide solutions to real-life business challenges. The programme featuring workshops and lectures delivered by a series of industry leaders, as well as visits to leading social enterprises across the North West.
The Mini MBA programme was devised by Mo Isap – local businessman, Enterprise Adviser with the Enterprise Adviser Network and Star Academies’ trustee – delivered in partnership with the School of Social Entrepreneurship (SSE), which supports 1,000 people a year develop the skills, strengths and networks they need to tackle society’s most challenging issues.
This was the third year running that the Blackburn school has held the innovative work experience and enterprise programme, which focuses on the skills and experience that will set pupils apart from their peers when applying to join a leading employer or prestigious university.
Participants spent the first four intensive days of the course, which forms part of the school’s leadership programme, in lectures and seminars that helped prepare them for their industry visits. Sessions in business strategy, leadership, product development and financial management were delivered by experts, including leaders from tech company IN 4.0 and community engagement social enterprise Placed. Following this grounding in fundamental business principles, the pupils then put what they had learned into practise when they visited social enterprises Alt Valley Community Trust, My Life CIC and Together Housing Group’s Newground CIC.
The students worked on an eco-challenge entitled ‘Don’t bottle it, Change is Now’ with social enterprises and community interest companies (CIC) to research and devise new products and services to improve the lives of others. They decided their ‘Eco-STAR’ project would aim to make Star Academies’ schools more environmentally friendly and aware by attempting to reduce plastic waste by producing a reusable, durable plastic water bottle provided to students at the start of the academic year.
On 28 June, the programme culminated in students presenting their business solutions to a panel of esteemed guests, including BBC news reporter Rahila Bano, engineer Ema Sampong Ekremet and Amanda Curtis-Wilson, of SSE, who had shared her insight and experience on business strategy and planning during the inaugural study day to inspire and inform pupils’ projects. She then presented students with certificates during a graduation ceremony, which took place during the school’s annual careers fair.
Aneesa Kholwadia, a Year 12 pupil who completed the qualification, said:
“The mini MBA has truly offered us a valuable opportunity. It has been an eye-opening experience where we were able to combine both the practical and theory aspects of business and gain a variety of transferable skills that will help transition us from secondary education to the world of work.”
Assistant Principal Asia Ali said:
“Our guiding principle is for our young women to achieve educational excellence, have high aspirations and benefit from outstanding opportunities. The programme has certainly enriched our students with all of these prospects, prepared our pupils for the world of work and allowed them to get first-hand knowledge and insight into how businesses operate.”
MINI MBA participants with Mo Isap, businessman, Enterprise Adviser with the Enterprise Adviser Network and Star Academies’ trustee
MINI MBA participants with inspirational women, including BBC news reporter Rahila Bano, engineer Ema Sampong Ekremet and Amanda Curtis-Wilson, of School of Social Entrepreneurship
Added By: Star Academies | Date Added: 1st Jul 2019 | Posted In: Latest News