Around 100 pupils from 17 Highland primary schools will gather at the Inverness Caledonian Thistle football stadium next Tuesday (1st October) to take part in a schools enterprise challenge.

Teams of six pupils from schools throughout Inverness and as far afield as Fort Augustus, Ardersier and Cannich will compete by developing a business project, which will include design, production and marketing of their product.  Members of the local business community will be on hand to work with the teams on areas such as problem solving and accounting.

The event has been organised in conjunction with primary schools by the Schools Enterprise Programme; a three-year initiative managed by Careers Scotland. The primary aim of the programme is to develop in Scottish children, mainly through fun enterprise projects in schools, the skills, qualities, and abilities that enable them to become 'enterprising' people in the widest sense.

It should also instil in them a confident, 'can do' mentality, which they can apply to any situation, not just to the world of work.  Half the funding for the initiative has come from Scottish businesses, with the remainder from the Scottish Executive.

Kerry Sinclair, who has been seconded to the Schools Enterprise Programme by The Highland Council Education Department, said she was delighted with the level of interest among schools in the area.

"The response among local schools demonstrates quite clearly the high level of enterprise that exists in the Highlands generally," she said.  "This event is the largest one of its kind so far, and we hope it will help equip pupils with the enterprising skills to enable them to have the best possible chance of living economically and socially successful lives. 

"We certainly hope the children will enjoy the day and find it useful, particularly those who may be inspired to go on and start their own business later in life."

Local businesswoman Freda Rapson of Jacobite Cruises, who is a  board member of Inverness and Nairn Enterprise, will start the event with an opening address.  "The youth of today are the entrepreneurs of tomorrow," she said. 

"My message will be to encourage the children to take up the gauntlet and face the challenges of the future - see that business is not boring, but rewarding, satisfying and fun!"