Young Enterprise host Spitalfields Pop Up Market in line with International Women’s Day

The leading national enterprise and financial education charity gives young people the opportunity to build real-world business skills while championing women’s talents and endeavours

On the 8^th March, Young Enterprise hosted a pop-up trade fair in line with International Women’s Day and this year’s theme of breaking the bias.

The event, which featured over 45 schools from London and the South East area who have taken part in the Young Enterprise Company Programme, was set up to give young people aged 15 + the opportunity to sell their products to real customers for real money, at the historic Old Spitalfields Market in London.

The young people made all the decisions about their Young Enterprise business, from the company name and product, to creating a business plan, managing their finances and selling their products. Many teams also traded online using the Charity’s unique trading platform Trading Station, which supports young people taking part in Young Enterprise programmes to develop the skills to engage first hand with the world of e-commerce from a business perspective.

Roberta Lucca, a Forbes Top 50 Women in Tech and BAFTA winner, also attended the event to present the ‘Future Female Leader Award’.

Following the event, Sharon Davies, CEO of Young Enterprise commented:

“At Young Enterprise, we truly believe in creating meaningful opportunities, which help young people to build an enterprising mindset and gain the confidence, practical know-how and necessary attributes to build their futures.”

“Initiatives such as the Company Programme and the Pop Up Market Fair have real potential to prepare individuals of all ages for the world of work, and it has been brilliant to see so many young people not only participate in but also develop their skills through these initiatives.”

“As the Spitalfields Trade Fair fell on International Women’s Day 2022, we also chose to launch our new report ‘Breaking down the barriers and nurturing the next generation of female entrepreneurs’ which explores the current landscape for young women and female entrepreneurs. At Young Enterprise, we know it’s important to recognise and celebrate young women’s achievements – that’s why we asked entrepreneur Roberta Lucca to present our very first Future Female Leader Award to a member of one of the young people’s company’s trading at today’s market.”

Young Enterprise is a national social mobility charity that motivates young people to succeed in the changing world of work. The Company Programme provides a real-life learning opportunity that introduces young people of all backgrounds to the realities of the world of work. Participants gain the practical business experience, adaptability, confidence, resilience and key employability skills needed to build successful futures.

Young people are supported throughout by a volunteer Business Adviser from industry, to set up and run their Young Enterprise Company. All Young Enterprise Business Advisers are DBS checked and have completed safeguarding training.