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Pupils open own Christmas department store

Budding young entrepreneurs will open their very own department store for the day in a Northumberland shopping centre to sell their handmade products to Christmas shoppers.

Chocolates, Victorian-style gifts, hand carved wooden animals and healthy food and recipe cards will be on sale at the Skills to Shine Department Store – all the handiwork of Northumberland school pupils who will be shopkeepers for the day.

They have spent the past six weeks perfecting a host of skills to allow them to craft their own exclusive products which will go on sale in their pop-up shop in Blyth’s Keel Row Shopping Centre on Friday December 13.

Not-for-profit social enterprise Skills to Shine took the idea to three local schools as part of its work to give young people the hands-on knowledge they need to succeed in whatever career path they choose.

The children from Bedlingtonshire High, Guide Post Middle and Ashington High Schools were mentored by local businesses to give them the skills to make their own confectionery, gifts, carvings and marketing materials to go on sale in the shop – with the schools keeping any money they make at the tills.

The store will feature:

• A chocolatiers’ department – selling handmade sweets made by 11 youngsters from Bedlingtonshire High School who learned chocolate making skills and their marketing from Kenspeckle chocolatiers in Lynemouth, Gareth James Chocolatiers in Tynemouth and We Are Decide in Gosforth
• Delicious healthy food and their recipe cards developed by Guide Post pupils after meeting with nutritionists at Northumbria University, working with professional bakers at Dough Works, North Shields, and learning writing and design skills with The Journal and professional designer Paul Stephenson
• A traditional Victorian Christmas gifts concession – a trip to Beamish Museum inspiring Ashington High School teenagers to make their own products from yesteryear
• Wooden wildlife carvings made by Ashington High pupils after a visit to Gosforth Nature Reserve with the Northumbria Natural History Society - Square Peg Joinery of Ashington donating the wood for their carvings.

Will Close-Ash, assistant headteacher at Bedlingtonshire High School, said “The young people have learnt some really important, hands-on skills such as leadership, teamwork and time management as well as learning about lots of different jobs available within the retail trade.

“These are the skills and the knowledge that employers are looking for and thanks to Skills to Shine the young people are getting these while working alongside businesses and employers.”

The use of the pop up shop has kindly been donated by The Northumberland Estates. David Ferguson, education co-ordinator, said: “The Northumberland Estates are a proud supporter of young people in Northumberland and we are delighted that the pop-up shop is taking place at our Keel Row Shopping Centre.

“We understand the importance of fostering an entrepreneurial spirit in young people. The pop-up shop is a really good example of this - developing an enterprising way of thinking will be invaluable to the young people involved in the shop and we wish them every success with this.”

Skills to Shine works with young people in the classroom, to give them the knowledge and skills they need to shine in whatever career path they choose.

The pop-up shop is part of Skills to Shine’s Enterprise Project, supported by £275,000 worth of Big Lottery funding, working with young people aged 11-16 to increase their aspirations, motivation and employability skills.

It works with schools and businesses to create an environment where teaching and learning methods become real, relevant and inspiring for children.

Lindsey Dunn, Skills to Shine managing director, said: “With the support of local businesses, the young people have produced exciting and inspirational ideas and products.

“It has been fantastic to see them work together on this project and learn crucial entrepreneurial and business skills that will prove invaluable in their future careers.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Gordon Arnott .