Budding entrepreneurs who are home-educated students are invited to join a free workshop to turn business ideas into a start-up reality.

Swindon not-for-profit business The Platform Project has launched a Youth Enterprise Workshop to help young people who are being educated at home to start their own business and work for themselves.

The project helps participants to identify ways to take their interests, passions and hobbies and turn them into their own small-scale enterprise and start making money through doing the things they enjoy.

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It is a key element of the work of The Platform Project which helps young people to thrive and build sustainable career options through various enterprise projects and experiences.

The fun, half-day online workshop, which is open to those living in Swindon, Wiltshire and neighbouring counties, has been designed specifically for young people who are just starting out and will guide participants through the key steps to turning their youth led business ideas into reality.

This includes identifying the opportunities, the customers and the potential to generate an income, as well as giving them the confidence and knowledge on how to actually get things started.

The Swindon and Wiltshire Careers Hub commissioned the Platform Project to run the scheme on behalf of the Careers and Enterprise Company.

With the sessions running on Friday (December 8), February 21 and April 22, participants can attend just the one workshop to get them started, or all three to help support them through progressing their ideas.

The Youth Enterprise Workshop will be hosted online via Teams and participants will need to attend with their parent or guardian to help guide them through the exercises and participate safely.

Sadie Sharp, Founder of The Platform Project, said, “The Youth Enterprise Workshop is so much fun to run – it’s inspiring seeing how a young person can take a tiny idea and start to work out how they can take small steps to grow it into a really exciting future. The workshop is really practical and interactive to give participants the simple tools, techniques and action to investigate how they could work for themselves, run a business or make money from hobbies and passions.

“It’s a brilliant way to develop entrepreneurial skills and experiences that can really stand out on your CV, as well as create the potential to turn hobbies and passions into money-making opportunities.

“As the sessions are online, we have been able to offer places to others across our region, increasing our reach and offering this unique opportunity to more people.”

The Mayor of Swindon Barbara Parry has been an advocate of great careers opportunities for many years, and also works as a Careers Advisor in Swindon’s Kingdown School.

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She said: “As a careers champion myself I have always been impressed with the work of The Platform Project and the real difference it can make for young people. Careers Advice and support is not straightforward – there is no one-size-fits-all approach which is why it’s important that organisations like The Platform Project, and programmes like the Youth Enterprise Workshop, exist.

“I’m looking forward to hearing about the innovative and entrepreneurial ideas generated by the workshop participants – it is a brilliant scheme for young people in our region.”