Students are challenged to create app
Students on Wearside are being given the chance to show their entrepreneurial streak and step inside the business world by designing new mobile phone apps.
Justine Greening MP, the former Secretary of State for Education, joined North East entrepreneur David Harrison, on a visit to the Beacon of Light in Sunderland yesterday.
As part of their studies, students at the Harrison Centre for Social Mobility (HCSM), which is based in the building, are learning about business and enterprise.
Now they have been challenged to come up with an idea for an app that will help people to manage their money and build up their savings.
The Harrison Centre for Social Mobility was set up in 2017 and provides advice and finance to charities in the North East working with disadvantaged children with the aim of improving social mobility in the region.
In June last year, Ms Greening joined HCSM founder Mr Harrison as they opened the workspace at the Beacon.
As part of the students’ modules, they will now compete to design the app, with the winning team scooping the Harrison Prize of £1,000 and the chance to join a team of app developers at Mr Harrison’s financial technology business, True Potential.
Last year, Ms Greening and Mr Harrison founded the national Social Mobility Pledge to level the playing field and address the lack of social mobility in Britain.
Research carried out by the Social Mobility Pledge, involving more than 2,000 people shows that the majority of UK workers believe progressing through the ‘class-ceiling’ is harder for young people now than it was decades ago.
The Social Mobility Pledge is tackling this by encouraging businesses throughout the UK to work with local schools, provide apprenticeships and use fair recruitment practices.
Mr David Harrison, who grew up in County Durham, said: “We set up the Harrison Centre at the Beacon last year to support young people and to get them thinking about the types of jobs and opportunities that will be available after their studies.
“Most young people won’t really think about starting up their own business, I certainly didn’t until I was in my late 20s and 30s.
“Through the Harrison Prize we hope to tap into these young people’s creativity and maybe uncover an entrepreneur or two who may go on to set up their own businesses in the North East.”
Ms Greening added: “The Social Mobility Pledge is really about unlocking young people’s potential by encouraging our brilliant businesses to work more closely with them and provide routes into work. What David is doing through the Harrison Centre is fantastic and has helped build the Beacon of Light into a world-class learning facility.
“I can’t wait to see the app ideas they come up with.”