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GUERNSEY Electricity is helping to power the imagination of students taking part in Young Enterprise.

The company, which sponsors the popular educational charity on an annual basis and provides advisors and premises for the students, has given an additional £2000 towards examination fees for any students who want to sit the Young Enterprise examination.

Guernsey Electricity Engineering director Steve Morris said the scheme was a great initiative and provided students with the opportunity to learn about, and experience first hand, a business environment. The exam enables them to demonstrate the skills they have learnt taking part in Young Enterprise and provides a recognised qualification.

‘Guernsey Electricity fully supports the scheme and has been heavily involved for a number of years. The students involved are part of the island’s commercial future and we recognise the importance of encouraging their learning and providing an insight into enterprise. We are delighted to be in a position to provide additional funding for the exam which forms an important part of the overall experience,’ he said.

The Certificate in Young Enterprise is now recognised by the National Qualifications Framework and is on either Level 1 or Level 2, Level 2 is the equivalent of GCSE level. It is broken into two units, one which draws on the students experiences within their own company and the other on a case study presented to the candidates six weeks prior to the exam.

Marian Root administers the examination on behalf of Young Enterprise. Although it is not compulsory, she said many students choose to sit the exam and achieve excellent pass rates.

‘The qualification is a good one to have. It not only looks impressive on a CV but it also focuses on elements that are essential to business practices, that of team work and problem solving,’ she said.

Young Enterprise is a national education charity founded in the UK in 1963 and operated in Guernsey since 1982. Its purpose is to forge links between schools and industry, and its mission to inspire and equip young people to learn and succeed through enterprise.

More than 135 local students applied to take part in this year’s scheme, which culminates in final presentations of YE Company’s achievements at Beau Sejour on May 11th. The award for the Best local company will be presented at this event and the chosen company will then play off against Jersey to represent the Channel Islands in the UK South East regional finals.

Young Enterprise Guernsey Area Board Chairman David Packman commented;

‘Guernsey has an enviable record in Young Enterprise for such a small community. Our companies always do well at the South East Regional Finals, and we have won both this event and the UK national finals in the past. This could not be achieved without the active support of Guernsey’s business community and we are very grateful to all our sponsors in this respect. Guernsey Electricity has supported us for many years and their latest donation is extremely helpful to us in funding the greatly increased cost of the examination,’ he said.