Britain's Biggest Enterprise Challenge Returns

Teenagers and twentysomethings across the country are being called upon to compete in the UK’s biggest ever live and simultaneous enterprise challenge – the 2006 Make Your Mark Challenge.

Following a successful pilot in 2005 – when over 11,000 students from secondary schools across the UK took part – the ‘Make Your Mark Challenge’ is back. Taking place on Monday 13 November 2006, the first day of Enterprise Week, this year’s Challenge will be bigger and better than before, with teams competing from further education colleges, universities, and workplaces, as well as schools.

The campaign is also running a pilot of the Make Your Mark Challenge for junior schools in London. Aimed at pupils in years five and six, they will be given the same challenge but time frames are changed to take account of their age.

The one-day enterprise competition has been specifically designed to foster teamwork, kick-start imaginations, and unleash creativity for developing money-making ideas.

Working in small teams each group will compete within their own category and will be required to answer the brief, which will be the same for all participants, in just one day. Judges will then select the top teams from each environment to attend the National Final in London in early December.

On the day of the final, participants will have to develop their idea further and pitch in ‘X-Factor’ style to a panel of judges made-up of celebrities, key government figures, and campaign team representatives, with the chance to win both experiential and monetary prizes.

“Young people need enterprising qualities to succeed in life The old certainties of a structured career are fading and employers need people who can innovate”, says Kevin Steele of Enterprise Insight, the competition organiser. “In the future, their passport to security will be a sense of adventure – and the Make Your Mark Challenge helps thousands of young people to develop the capacity to have ideas and make them happen!”

Last year’s Make Your Mark Challenge was to ‘Put where you live on the map and make money’ and it was won by The Littlehampton Community School. James Collet, a Business Studies Teacher at the school, adds: "Competing in the Challenge was an enjoyable experience from start to finish for all of us. The challenge enabled students to develop invaluable skills in teamworking, leadership, innovation and enterprise, and understand what is needed to make an idea happen - a well designed challenge! I'd definitely recommend entering the Challenge to any organisation that works with young people but look out as we'll be back to defend our crown!"

Competing in the 2006 Make Your Mark Challenge couldn’t be easier, all that is needed is one or more teams of six people and a space for them to work in.

Donna Miller from Enterprise Rent-A-Car comments: “We build enterprise into everything we do, creating an inspiring and high energy place to work. The Make Your Mark Challenge represents a fantastic opportunity to develop and motivate our staff beyond our everyday activity. We are expecting it to breed healthy competition between colleagues and can’t wait to see their ideas.”

For more information about the Make Your Mark Challenge and to register your team please visit: www.makeyourmarkchallenge.org or call the competition hotline on 0845 094 0226.