Tower Hamlets Enterprise Learning Pathfinder

Project Objectives and Attributes

The Tower Hamlets Enterprise Learning Pathfinder began in September 2003 and has run for the past two years.

With the new emphasis on enterprise learning and the requirement for all students to have the opportunity to undertake 5 days worth of enterprise learning in their school career from September 2005, we hope that the resources that we have developed as part of our programme will provide a valuable resource for other schools now and in the future.  

Under the terms of the DfES funding, the objective of the Tower Hamlets project was to support the development of activities to enhance ‘enterprise capability’ as defined in the Howard Davies review (http://www.dfes.gov.uk/ebnet/download/Review.pdf), namely:

• Knowledge of concepts such as organisation, innovation, risk, change
• Skills such as decision making, risk management, presentational
• Attitudes such as self reliance, open mindedness, pragmatism, commitment
• Qualities such as adaptability, perseverance, determination, confidence

KEY ATTRIBUTES

Our Pathfinder in Tower Hamlets has had a number of key objectives and attributes which we believe have set it apart:

1. Firstly, our focus on ‘Enterprise Learning on Demand’ enables other schools and colleges access to our course materials, teacher and student notes, texts, videos etc from anywhere where internet access is available by visiting www.eod.org.uk.
   
   All of this information is available on our web site and is being updated on a regular basis. Further, we provide links to other sites from organisations engaged in similar endeavours. Thus we hope our site will be a 'hub' that schools and colleges can access to help them develop their own enterprise learning programmes. 
   
   We have also developed a video showcasing the work that has been undertaken, including interviews with teachers and our business partners. You can order a copy of this video from THEBP by using the 'Contact Us' facility on this web site. 
   
   
2. Secondly, there is a very strong cross-curriculum emphasis in our projects. Thus we have run and continue to develop enterprise learning activities in subject areas such as Performing Arts, PSHE, Citizenship, PE, Science, Mathematics, English, Art and Humanities, Manufacturing, Technology, ICT and Business Studies. 
   
   
3. Thirdly, our programme has been developed across all year groups, from year 7 to year 13, and elements of the programme have been developed and used at six schools in Tower Hamlets - Swanlea B&E, Mulberry Girls, Bethnal Green Technology College, Central Foundation Girls, Stepney Green Boys and Bow Boys. Thus our programmes have been used in a variety of schools in different circumstances and students across Tower Hamlets have been introduced to the concepts of enterprise learning.

Students from Bow Boys present their results after an enterprise activity

1. Fourthly, we have made use of materials and products which have already been developed, where applicable. We have worked with Young Enterprise (http://www.young-enterprise.org.uk/), the Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) (http://www.nfte.co.uk/), businessdynamics (http://www.businessdynamics.org.uk/gen/default.aspx), PFEG (http://www.pfeg.org/) and the NatWest ‘Face 2 Face with Finance’ programme (http://www.natwestf2f.com/F2F/NatWest/default.htm) in particular. In this way we have avoided ‘re-creating the wheel’, whilst retaining overall design control.

1. Lastly, through the Tower Hamlets Education Business Partnership (THEBP), the pathfinder team has had access to significant support from local business and industry. We would like to take this opportunity to thank in particular Merrill Lynch, ABN Amro and Royal Bank of Scotland.