10 Mar 2009

'E-Day' inspires budding entrepreneurs

Forty Eastern Bay of Plenty senior secondary school pupils took part in "E-Day," aimed at inspiring their efforts in this year's Lions Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) business course.

Under the scheme, the students set up and run their own enterprise for the school year, competing for national Young Enterprise Scheme awards.

Students from Opotiki College, Edgecumbe College, Trident High School and Whakatane High School came along to E-Day with ideas for organising and running their businesses and listened to a variety of business people who presented seminars on various aspects of business.

At the end of the day, after brainstorming their ideas and attending a directorship seminar, the budding young business people had the opportunity to get feedback on their ideas from a panel including Rosemary Johnson, regional development manager of the Whakatane campus of the Waiariki Institute of Technology, Stephen Clayton of the ASB Bank and Toi-EDA Manger of Marketing and Economic Development, Mary Hermanson.

Last year Opotiki College company “Kai from the Coast” took out a national YES award for the most profitable business and won the AAA New Business Award.

This year Toi-EDA took over the regional co-ordination role and Enterprise Training and BIZ co-ordinator Ros Hoskins worked hard to put the programme together.

Seminar presenters were David Bulley on Leadership, Martin Pipe from Quay Accountants on Finance, Nicola Burgess from Toi-EDA on Marketing and Debbie Purdy from Scilla Chocolates on Production.

Quay Accountants and Toi-EDA are the Eastern Bay of Plenty sponsors.

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