Young students from Bradford’s Carlton Bolling College were visited by an influential business figure yesterday as part of events run by Mosaic to mark Global Entrepreneurship Week.

The students met Zulfiqar Hussain MBE, who talked about his journey from his arrival in the UK without a word of English to becoming a successful businessman and founder of the international charity Global Promise.

He highlighted the importance of inspirational leadership in a successful entrepreneur and how this can lead to endless opportunities and success. The international charity Global Promise, which he founded in 2005 in response to the Tsunami, raised over £2 million and now focuses on improving the quality of life in local communities around the world.

Zulfiqar Hussain said: “It is always a delight to meet such engaging young people and do my bit to challenge them to achieve and consider running their own businesses as a career. I was impressed with the enthusiasm of the students at Carlton Bolling today and I am in no doubt that there are a few upcoming social entrepreneurs of the future in the school.”

The event comes in Global Entrepreneurship Week, which aims to inspire young people through business.

Hanif Khan, Partnership Manager at Carlton Bolling College, said: “Today’s event is so important for our young people. To have the opportunity to hear first-hand from a successful entrepreneur raises the students’ aspirations and shows them what can be achieved. I am grateful to Zulfiqar for giving his time to support the next generation of entrepreneurs.”

Liz Henstock, Vocation and Enterprise teacher at the school, added: “Our learners have been indescribably excited in the lead up to this event. It is hands-on, practical opportunities like this that enables less academic students to realise their potential in a different capacity, bringing learning alive and creating memorable moments that stay in their minds forever. We are entirely grateful for this opportunity”.

Wajid Hussain, an Enterprise Coach for Bradford Kickstart, gave the young people an insight into what makes a successful social enterprise.

The day ended on a practical note, with Wajid and Nabila Ayub from Mosaic running workshops for the young people using a decision-making tool and an exercise so the students could come up with their own top 10 ideas for a social enterprise.

This week, we officially launched the fifth Apax-Mosaic Enterprise Challenge, our national competition for young people across the UK. The mission of the Enterprise Challenge is to inspire secondary school children by encouraging them to explore and experience entrepreneurialism. Teams of students are helped by volunteer Mosaic mentors – successful role models from the world of business – who teach them about ethical business principles and innovative ways to develop products and make a profit.

Find out more about the Enterprise Challenge and how you could get involved