PIE Project – Sir John Hall unites with budding entrepreneurs

Children from year six at Tyneview Primary School in Walker are leaving for secondary school with a very special gift – a certificate to recognise their formal qualification in enterprise, which was presented to them by Sir John Hall.

The children, aged ten and eleven, have been awarded an NCFE Entry Level 3 in Enterprise, which they studied as part of their work on the PIE Project. One of their areas of work was around entrepreneurs and they studied Sir John Hall as an inspiring example – so they were delighted to meet him in person. The PIE Project, supported by Leazes Homes, Your Homes Newcastle and Asian Business Connexions, is dedicated to encouraging children to be enterprising from a young age. Pupils from Tyneview and Walkergate Primary Schools, set up their own shop in December 2013 with the help of the PIE Project following a formal application and interview process to appoint them as “PIE-oneers”. After successfully selling Christmas decorations they had made themselves, both schools have continued to use the shop to assist with learning about the business world and everything it entails. They also recently helped to launch a new resource, MindCraft Enterprise Support Centre, alongside guests including Bob Paton, Managing Director of Accenture’s Newcastle Delivery Centre and Chief Executive of the North East LEP, Simon Hanson, Development Manager with the Federation of Small Businesses and numerous representatives of the business and education sectors. In addition to offering a second space for local children to use, the organisations behind the PIE Project (Asian Business Connexions, Your Homes Newcastle and Leazes Homes) worked with national awarding organisation, NCFE, to provide the enterprise qualification. Hannah Lilley, one of the Tyneview Primary PIE-oneers who was awarded the qualification, said: “I know so much about enterprise now and have developed lots of skills that will help me to get a job in the future. I feel much more confident now about what I want to do when I’m older. It was amazing to meet Sir John Hall too since we studied him during our work The PIE-oneers are the first through the PIE project to complete this qualification, which is open to children of any age. NCFE has moderated the work completed and awarded all children with the qualification, which is nationally recognised and the first qualification many of the children will have had. It helps the children to develop skills that will help them be more enterprising throughout their school career and prepares them for the world of work as well as introducing them to the process of applying for jobs. Bill Midgley, Chair of Leazes Homes and President of the PIE Project, said: “Leazes Homes is committed to linking young people to potential employers and to using education to teach them about the world of work. Making education exciting and engaging is vital and innovative lessons like these are far more effective than asking children to learn by rote. “We always try to establish links between the people who live in our communities and the organisations who work in them, whether by inviting local school children to visit our construction sites in their local area or through our work with the PIE Project. We look forward to continuing to work with a new generation of PIE-oneers as the project extends and to hearing how our year six graduates have progressed in their new school – I wish them all the best of luck in all of their enterprises!” Any school wishing to learn more about the PIE Project and / or how they can take advantage of the space at The Beacon should contact Ashleigh Jackson on 0191 2424892 Or via Ashleigh@ammarm.com