Enterprise Challenge 2011/12

This year’s Enterprise Challenge is now open and happening in schools across the UK! This year’s event, co-sponsored by the Apax Foundation and the Department for Communities and Local Government was profiled this week at the Department of Business Innovation and Skills. Over 2,000 UK secondary school students from over 60 schools are expected to take part in this year’s Challenge which is designed to give students first-hand experience of the world of business as well as inspiring entrepreneurial behaviour. The Challenge seeks to raise the aspirations of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, through exposure to positive role models and mentoring. Participants will benefit from the guidance of successful entrepreneurs and experienced business mentors including those from companies such as Deloitte, Accenture, PwC and Ernst & Young.

If you think you can inspire a young entrepreneur and have some time to be a business mentor in one of Mosaic's schools for our Enterprise Challenge, then please get in touch by using our sign up form.

The Apax-Mosaic Enterprise Challenge is a national competition that aims to inspire knowledge and enthusiasm about business amongst young people.  School teams are supported by a specialist business mentor to compete through an online business game platform, which places students into a realistic business scenario where they develop and market a new product. The Enterprise Challenge encourages students to demonstrate how key components of business such as finance, sales, marketing and production come together to determine success.

Enterprise Challenge 2010/2011

Enterprise Challenge 2009/2010

Enterprise Challenge 2008/2009

The game

The game puts the learner into a realistic business scenario where they develop and market a new product, providing an engaging, challenging and fun opportunity for students whilst demonstrating how key business issues such as finance, sales, marketing and production are affected by each other.  Specifically designed for use by teenagers for in-class use, the game fulfils the requirements of enterprise education within the National Curriculum and is fully in line with the ‘National Strategy for Enterprise Education' to provide an excellent way of introducing enterprise to young adults and teens.

The mentors

In addition to unrestricted use of the game software by the school for a full year, as well as for the duration of the competition, schools benefit from live mentoring to support the key aspects of the game from a group of Mosaic's inspirational business mentors.  Our mentors work with the school team to cover each element of the competition, preparing them for the competition and explaining how the issues covered by the game are of crucial importance to their own businesses so as to bring the game to life with real-world examples.

The competition

Each participating school can enter as many teams as it wishes and is provided with a free copy of the gaming software.  In the run-up to the Challenge proper, mentors work with school teams to develop pupils' understanding of the issues covered by the game.  The teams then have a two-wek window in which to record their best possible scores.  Each team is also has to submit an Ethical Business Strategy to demonstrate their understanding of responsible business practices.  At the end of the heats, teams from the top five schools are invited to attend the prestigious national finals event in central London, where they will compete to become the winners in front of an audience of some 150 business and other leaders.

Enterprise Challenge 2010/2011

The winners of the 2010/11 competition were Brondesbury College from London.  This year saw over 250 teams competing involving some 1500 students from across the country, supported by over 100 Mosaic mentors.  As well as cash prizes for the top three teams, the winning team had a private flight on the London Eye with 'Secret Millionaire' Mo Chaudry, pitched their business proposal to 'Dragon's Den' star James Caan and even had tea with Mrs Cameron at 10 Downing Street! For more information download an Overview of the Enterprise Challenge 2011/12.

Enterprise Challenge 2009/2010

This year's competition was even bigger than last year, with over 140 teams taking part across the UK. The final heat saw teams from the top 6 schools head to London to take part. The winning team, Manchester Academy,  were treated to a star-filled afternoon and £3,000 prize money for the school.

Enterprise Challenge 2008/2009

The inaugural Apax - Mosaic Enterprise Challenge 2009 was contested by over 80 teams from over schools from across the country.  The winners of the Challenge were King's Heath Boys School from Birmingham.  The school won £3000 for school equipment and the team from Year 9 were whisked off for an afternoon of fun, with a trip on the London Eye and a speedboat ride up the Thames!

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