A TEAM of budding entrepreneurs from an East End secondary school has won a prestigious award and will represent Scotland in a UK-wide competition.

Pupils from Lochend Community High School won the Top Company Award at this year’s Festival of Youth Enterprise and will now go forward to the UK finals of the Young Enterprise (YE) Company Programme.

The team of seven six formers from the Easterhouse secondary school, called Stars of the Planet, achieved stellar success with an interactive children’s book on climate change.

Over the past school year, they set up and ran a business to design, publish, and market their colourful book which uses word searches, mazes and counting games to explore the causes and effects of climate change.

Glasgow Times: Stars of the Planet collect their award at the Festival of Youth Enterprise.Stars of the Planet collect their award at the Festival of Youth Enterprise.

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Throughout the process they controlled the finances, created a distinct brand and lively marketing videos on TikTok, while learning new skills as they worked through various business challenges from printing techniques to online sales processes.

In the final accounts, the team sold 730 books and made a profit of more than £2000.

There are also plans to make the book a permanent fixture in the school’s library as part of the legacy of COP26.

Fraser Morrison, company and team programme manager, hosted the awards ceremony which took place on June 1.

He said: “Congratulations to Lochend Community High School for a fantastic company. They excelled in their creativity and in the execution of their business plan.

“This is a team that learned a great deal on their company journey and clearly enjoyed every step of the way.

“I can’t help but think that they will be strong candidates for the UK award and wish them every success at the next stage of the competition.”

Glasgow Times: The Stars of the Planet children's book.The Stars of the Planet children's book.

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The YE Scotland Company Programme helps nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs, by challenging senior phase school students to set up and run their own businesses.

The students are required to manage the manufacture of products or set up a service, control costs and deliver a sales and marketing campaign, learning skills in communication, finance and problem solving.

The Stars of the Planet team were supported by teachers, a volunteer business adviser and a YE Scotland area team, with the project forming a key part of the students learning as they worked towards their SCQF Level 6 Qualification for entrepreneurship.

Lochend Community High School teacher, Heather Kerr, added: “The experience they gain through the Company Programme is priceless.

“They experience the highs and lows associated running a business. They learn how to communicate effectively, work within a team and solve problems for themselves.

“Our young people gain confidence and become more resilient as they progress throughout the year.

“The addition of the SCQF qualification is an added bonus and rewards the young people for the hard work and commitment they have demonstrated all year.”