Enterprising students celebrated at awards
Enterprising Waikato secondary school students will wing their way to Wellington in December after coming up trumps at the Waikato-King Country Young Enterprise Scheme Annual Awards.
St Peter’s School also did well, and won the Staples Rodway Financial Award for their Kiwicrosse business.
Student Sophie Brown said the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) had been a major learning curve.
‘‘We have learnt that business isn’t all about the theory we learn in class but more about getting out there and getting your hands dirty.
‘‘We have learnt important practical skills such as how to market ourselves and the logistics of importing products from overseas suppliers,’’ she said.
She would recommend that anyone who is interested in business to take part in the scheme.
St Peter’s School teacher Chris Macleod was proud of her students.
‘‘Each company has utilised the various talents and strengths of their group to full advantage, in their various directorship roles.
‘‘They have all come up with very good commercially viable products and should be proud of what they have achieved this year,’’ she said.
Survive Out of School (SOS), of Waikato Diocesan School for Girls, took home top honours as Wintec Waikato-King Country Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) Company of the Year.
The business, which developed a smartphone app for students leaving home and school, also took home the Waikato Business News Sales and Marketing Award
YES Waikato-King Country coordinator Levinia Paku said SOS worked consistently well through- out the year, building a good business around a useful product.
‘‘The app includes lots of lifehacks and essential information for young people leaving home, helping them to develop independent and healthy lifestyles,’’ she said.
YES involves students setting up and running a real business, creating, promoting and selling a product or service, conducting market research, planning, budgeting, taking and managing risk and turning problems into challenges.
A second Waikato Diocesan School young enterprise team, Tihi Hipi, was named Stafford Industries Runner Up in the regional awards and their chief executive Chloe Saxton clinched the University of Waikato Award for Leadership.
Fraser High School’s Be Somebody, and St Paul’s Collegiates Crankworkshave won YES National Excellence Awards and will join SOS at the national awards on December 6.