S3 Skills for Work Career Launchpad pupils have been putting their ideas into action as they explored how social enterprises can make a positive difference in schools and communities.
The session, organised by Skills for Work teacher Mrs Eck, introduced pupils to the idea of a social enterprise – an organisation that trades to achieve a social purpose, with money generated being reinvested to help further its aims.
This was particularly relevant for the S3 group, who will go on to run their own social enterprise as part of their Level 4 qualification.
Working in four groups, pupils were challenged to identify an issue they would like to improve or a group of people they would like to support. They then had to develop their own social enterprise idea in response.
There was no shortage of creative thinking! Ideas included school drop-in clubs designed to support young people’s mental health, a community playgroup-style event offering activities for young children while giving parents and carers an opportunity to meet others, and a food pop-up that could provide pupils with more choice and quicker options at lunchtime.
However, coming up with a good idea was only the beginning. Pupils also had to think like entrepreneurs and work out whether their plans could actually become a reality.
Each group calculated potential costs, considered where start-up funding might come from and decided how any money generated by their enterprise could be reinvested to support its social purpose.
The session also gave pupils the opportunity to develop important skills including teamwork, communication, creativity, problem-solving, planning and decision-making. At the end of the activity, pupils used self and peer assessment to identify what had gone well and what they would do differently next time.
Most importantly, the session showed pupils that the skills and ideas they are developing through Career Launchpad don’t just exist in the classroom. Social enterprises operate in communities across the country, using business ideas to tackle real problems and make a difference.
Mrs Eck said: “It was a great example of the GCC Skills Framework coming to life, with pupils applying their learning to realistic challenges and beginning to develop the skills they will need when they launch their own social enterprises later in the course.”
