North Tyneside Business Forum Empowers Young Talent Through Innovative Enterprise Day

Some of North Tyneside’s brightest young minds explored the world of business at an innovative enterprise event organised by the North Tyneside Business Forum CIC.

The Future Founders event, devised by Forum Vice Chair Christopher Wilson and Chair Angela Tuplin, brought together 24 young people aged between 15 and 21 at Salt Market Social in North Shields for a day of inspiration, mentoring and hands-on business challenges.

Supported by Working Well North Tyneside, the event was designed to build confidence, develop employability skills and encourage young people to consider entrepreneurship as a future career option.

Rather than learning from textbooks, participants heard directly from successful business people who shared honest accounts of their careers, including the setbacks they had overcome and the opportunities they had seized.

Inspirational keynote presentations were delivered by Jamilah Hassan and Laura Middleton before the young people took part in interactive workshops led by mentors drawn from businesses across the region.

Throughout the morning, mentors rotated between small groups, sharing practical advice and encouraging discussion on subjects including marketing, communications, branding, finance, business development and customer engagement.

In the afternoon, the participants were split into teams for the Future Founders Challenge, where they were presented with a surprise business scenario contained in a “Golden Envelope”. Working alongside their allocated mentor, each team developed a business idea before pitching it to a judging panel.

The emphasis throughout the day was not on finding the perfect business idea but on developing confidence, creativity, teamwork and communication skills.

Angela Tuplin, Chair of North Tyneside Business Forum, said:

“Future Founders was created to give young people the opportunity to learn directly from people who have built businesses and experienced both success and setbacks. We wanted them to discover that there isn’t just one route into business and that resilience, creativity and confidence are just as important as having a great idea.

“The enthusiasm shown by every participant was inspiring and we’re incredibly grateful to the mentors and speakers who gave up their time to support the next generation.”

Vice Chair Christopher Wilson added:

“One of the biggest strengths of the day was bringing together experienced business people and young people in an informal environment where they could have honest conversations, ask questions and explore ideas without fear of getting things wrong.

“The quality of the presentations demonstrated just how much potential there is among young people when they’re given encouragement and the opportunity to develop their ideas.”

The event concluded with each participant receiving a Future Founders Certificate of Achievement and information about further opportunities available through North Tyneside Business Forum and its partners.

North Tyneside Business Forum CIC is committed to supporting both local businesses and the next generation of entrepreneurs by creating opportunities that strengthen the local economy and encourage young people to realise their potential.

Future Founders is expected to become a regular feature of the Forum’s programme as it continues to invest in the business leaders of tomorrow.

The North Tyneside Business Forum is run by a management group made up of members from various industry sectors in the Borough and gives support in the form of networking, events and signposting for growth and development. Membership is free and open to any business of any size with a trading address within North Tyneside. The Business Forum is supported by, but not run by North Tyneside Council.

The Forum is FREE to join and is for any business with a trading address in North Tyneside.

E: business.forum@northtyneside.gov.uk  www.northtynesidebusinessforum.org.uk

T:0191 643 6000

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