School Enterprise Challenge

Empowering young people with skills for success in work and life through planning and running a real business in school.

Problem

Many youth are not getting the skills they need through education that prepare them to reach their full potential. Currently 71 million youth are unemployed, and 156 million live in poverty despite having a job. The problem will grow with an estimated 25.6 million youth entering the labour market by 2030. Teachers are inadequately trained and poorly supported to improve the education they provide to learners.

Solution 

Teach A Man To Fish has a proven model which empowers teachers to foster skills-building in diverse learners. The model is delivered through a website dedicated to the School Enterprise Challenge, is available to teachers all over the world and is promoted globally through networks and social media.

School Enterprise Challenge builds teachers’ capacity and students’ skills through experiential education. Step-by-step guidance and a suite of educational resources, for establishing a student-led school business is available through the School Enterprise Challenge website, https://www.schoolenterprisech....

Teachers are guided to immerse a student team in experiential learning through planning and running a real business in school. In this context, students become creative problem-solvers; critical thinkers; confident leaders and communicative team-workers.

The school business becomes sustainable by generating financial resources to keep it going while experiential learning is embedded within the school through repeated participation in the business(es) by teachers and students year on year.

To motivate teachers and students, the School Enterprise Challenge takes a three-pronged approach. ICT supports a structured campaign of weekly messages, tailored feedback, remote mentoring, experience-sharing and celebration; the resource suite includes tools for teachers and students to chart their own skills’ development and achievements; and an international-standard awards system, accompanied by accreditation and prizes, celebrates the achievements of individual teachers and school teams at a global level.

In 2017, the School Enterprise Challenge built the skills of over 67,000 youth and 1,200 teachers in more than 100 countries through a word-press website and downloadable resources in Spanish and English at a cost of US$4.25 per student. Over 88% of teachers reported that students had improved their communication, team-working, critical-thinking, problem-solving skills and business knowledge through participation in a school business.

Change

School Enterprise Challenge is proven to support educators to foster improved skills-building in learners and empower student participants with skills and attitudes to guide their own successful careers and lives.  

The School Enterprise Challenge guides teachers to lead their students in experiential learning through researching, planning and implementing a real business(es) that can become profitable in their own context. The model, while having the capacity to be adopted by any teacher and school in any context, is currently limited by the necessity for teachers to have internet connectivity, an available computer, and Spanish or English language skills.

Development of a mobile-enabled School Enterprise Challenge website that incorporates more languages would harness mobile telecoms coverage to reach teachers and students in any part of the world with this transformational approach for experiential skills-development.  

The School Enterprise Challenge is innovative in providing educators and learners with a real business, owned by the school, that provides a learning platform for students and teachers within the school. The business and learning platform can sustain itself through its profits and create broader impact year on year.

The School-Business model is inherently adaptable to any age level and geography and sustainable in any context as students, led by teachers, research and plan their business for their own context and run their business with the aim to make profit. 

The School Enterprise Challenge uses ICT to engage, motivate and support participants all over the world. With internet usage at 54.4% of the world’s population and expanding, a dedicated website is the entry point for any teacher, anywhere and at any time, to learn and download educational resources. ICT (email, social media, video, mobile communications) enables step-by-step support to be available to teachers at a time suitable for them, assisting teachers to lead their students in experiential learning through planning and running a school business. ICT is also used to motivate participants, network and share experiences across the world.

The School Enterprise Challenge aims to double the number of young people whose skills and opportunities are transformed every year. It will strengthen support for teachers with provision of new educational resources and responsive assistance, and prepare its systems to double the number of teachers every year who receive guidance to lead their students  in experiential learning in planning/running a school business.

Our goal is to reach and impact the lives of 1 million young people in places where youth have few opportunities and support mechanisms to move out of poverty. Our vision is a mobile-enabled website that incorporates multiple languages. With Africa and Asia leading the mobile-first market, this would enable more teachers and students in low-resource communities to access and participate in the School Enterprise Challenge building vital skills for success in work and life. 

The School Enterprise Challenge is deployed primarily through a Wordpress website that, although functional, needs updating to widen access for teachers and students in low-resource communities across the world. Target school communities and teachers learn about the opportunity through an extensive promotion campaign at international, national and local levels using a range of ICT, partner networks, and participating schools' networks.  A school buddy approach encourages participating schools to introduce and mentor other schools. Target school communities and teachers access resources and guidance, from a computer in their school or through local partner organisations that have internet access.

The School Enterprise Challenge is currently serving over 80,000 young people and more than 5,000 teachers. The global programme is managed through the website and is only available to teachers and schools with internet connection. The opportunity is available to teachers and schools in low-resource communities without internet connection through staff in 6 countries and an operational partner network in 9 countries. A structured programme of bi-annual training workshops, distribution of hard copy guides and regular remote support through SMS and phone calls guides these participants step-by-step.

The School Enterprise Challenge expects to serve 100,000 young people and over 8,000 teachers in 12 months; and 400,000 young people and 10,000 teachers in 3 years.

Young people will learn new skills and gain new valuable experiences through planning and running a real business in their school setting them up to be good candidates for employment, successful entrepreneurs or to study further. Lead Teachers will receive guided assistance and educational resources to foster experiential learning and skills-building through the school business platform. 

Most of the population will lack support or opportunities from other avenues.

Operations: Head of Programmes (HoP) leads delivery of School Enterprise Challenge. The CEO, HoP and programmes’ team together bring 55 years' experience of education; business; communications; training, resource development; and international development to deliver and develop the School Enterprise Challenge; its platform, approach, resources and systems for participant support.

Partnerships: The team has 12 years’ experience of building operational partnerships with NGOs, companies and volunteers.

Resource mobilisation: The team has mobilised financial resources to grow School Enterprise Challenge since 2011. The CEO and Programme Fundraising Manager lead resource mobilisation and together have over 40 years’ experience in business and resource mobilisation.

In the first phase of development of the School Enterprise Challenge we have focused on reaching significant scale and ensuring demonstrable impact (majority funded by grant income from foundations). Sustainability has centred on schools generating income, allowing them to self-fund their participation in the programme indefinitely. As we enter the second phase we will incorporate a number of revenue streams based on additional paid-for services, including teacher training, accreditation, print-resources, merchandise and membership fees - allowing wealthier schools to cross-subsidise poorer ones.  We will continue to develop our consultancy services for other non-profits which currently represent around 15% of income.

We have a deep understanding of what it takes to build young people’s skills for success in disadvantaged communities around the world – but with better technology, we could have a far greater impact. Through Solve we hope to connect to partners who have such expertise, and realise this goal – making our programmes more accessible, and using technology better to engage our substantial community of teachers and mentors to become part of the solution. 

As a programme, our solution already works and creates significant impact. However, teachers accessing and interacting with our programme online via mobile phone have particular challenges. Our reach is also limited by availability of materials in local languages. With technical expertise from solvers, we would hope to reduce development costs and identify smart solutions to engage our community in overcoming these barriers.