Young Enterprise

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Young Enterprise is a UK charity that teaches young people about business and money. It runs programs to help with employability, enterprise skills, and financial education, and it also provides resources and teacher training. Since 1962, it has worked with schools and businesses to prepare young people for the changing world of work.

The charity began in 1962, founded by Sir Walter Salomon and inspired by the American Junior Achievement program. By 1973–74 there were 22 regional boards running Young Enterprise programs across the UK. In 1977, a European federation was formed with the UK, France, and Belgium as founders, later becoming Junior Achievement/Young Enterprise Europe.

Over the years, Young Enterprise expanded and changed how it ran programs. In the 1980s the Company Competition took shape with regional winners going to a National Final in London. The organization became more decentralized in the 1990s, with Scotland becoming an independent charity in 1991, Northern Ireland in 1997, and Wales in 1999. Several new programs were launched during this time, including Project Business (1995), an International Trading and Entrepreneurship Masterclass (1997), and a Graduate Programme (1998). In 2000 the Primary Programme rolled out nationwide, and by 2002 the charity had 12 autonomous regional organizations. Learn to Earn, Enterprise in Action (2003), and Personal Economics (2005) were added later.

Young Enterprise has shown positive long-term impact. Research by FreshMinds found that participants in the Company Programme typically earn about £40,000–£45,000 after age 30, compared with £26,000–£30,000 for peers who did not take part. Around 60% of alumni felt they had a good understanding of career options after school, compared with 46% of non-participants. Alumni are also about twice as likely to start their own company.

Today, Young Enterprise serves the United Kingdom with about 12 autonomous regional organisations. It reaches around 482,000 participants each year and relies on more than 6,000 volunteers. The organization is led by a CEO and a chair to guide its work in helping young people build business and financial skills for the future.