BELFAST school pupils have wowed a panel of industry leaders with their smart money-making ideas.
The business-focused SKILL! Programme, organised by Visionpath Education, invited 40 young year 10 pupils from Ashfield Girls’ High School and St. Joseph’s College to develop clever concepts under the mentorship of professionals from Allen & Overy and PwC.
Now in its third year, the popular curriculum-compliant competition lets pupils experience the drama and excitement of pitching to real business leaders while brushing up on important workplace skills.
The two joint-winning ideas were an app aimed at helping young people who are vulnerable to exclusion or self-harm and a device that would correct grammar and punctuation on written materials.
Patrick Philpott, Founder of Visionpath Education, said: “Belfast’s young people have demonstrated their entrepreneurial spirit and potential.
But the skills and experience they’ve gained through SKILL! – creativity, problem-solving, story-telling and teamwork – will support them in any future career. Whether that’s entrpreneurial, professional or vocational.”