Teams gear up for business skills challenge

BUSINESS skills will top the agenda next month when teams from more than 25 schools and colleges come together to take part in an annual business and enterprise competition.

The annual Umph! business and enterprise competition at the John Smith’s Stadium in Huddersfield Stadium on July 1 is organised by business adviser Grant Thornton gives students the chance to learn first hand about the highs and lows of running a business by working closely with eight entrepreneurs from across the region.

The contestants go on to put their business skills to the test by competing against each other to create the most successful ‘virtual business’ using software from SimVenture.

A team of from Greenhead College in Huddersfield scooped first prize in last year’s Umph! competition.

Sandra O’Neill, head of business development at Grant Thornton, who also leads Educate to Innovate, said: “Umph! and our Educate to Innovate programme are all about equipping young people with the skills they need to succeed in business and to make a positive contribution to the economy of the future. While there are many fantastic business studies teachers out there, giving students the chance to experience the real world of business and to get a sense of the excitement and challenges involved from ‘real life’ entrepreneurs, is invaluable to unlocking entrepreneurial potential.”

Umph! is part of Grant Thornton’s ‘Educate to Innovate’ scheme, which the firm has developed in Yorkshire to forge closer links between education and business. From in-school workshops to site visits and mentoring schemes, the scheme aims to instil in students the knowledge, awareness and aptitude for business and entrepreneurialism required by employers.

Umph! is also supported by Huddersfield Town Football Club, law firm Bond Dickinson, Kirklees Council, SimVenture, Fantastic Media and Huddersfield University.