The Young Enterprise Company Programme offers any student in the Lower Sixth year the opportunity to set up and run their own real company over the course of one academic year, with the support and guidance of volunteer advisers from business. Currently the advisors for St. Bees Company are both from Sellafield Ltd.
Students elect a board of directors from amongst their peers, raise share capital, market and finance a real product or service of their own choice and sell it to the public. This year the company is called Effectrix, they have a variety of products to sell from wooden desk calendars hand produced from locally sourced wood to imported hand crafted products from Bangladesh.
Products have been sold at School events and more recently in Workington town centre at the West Cumbria Young Enterprise Trade Fair. Through participating in the Company Programme, students develop their
enterprise knowledge and understanding, skills and attributes in a business
context. They learn by doing, coping with a changing and evolving business, developing
essential skills such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, managing risk, creativity, innovation and leadership.
http://company.young-enterprise.org.uk/company/about_cp/