Year 11 IGCSE Enterprise students at Gubei Campus recently completed running their own businesses as part of their coursework. The Enterprise class provides students with the opportunity to work in small groups to run a business, allowing them to apply their knowledge first-hand in a practical and engaging way.

Students worked in groups of three or four students, and had to negotiate with the school to ensure that their business met a number of criteria. They also prepared and gave presentations on finance and marketing, produced advertisements, ordered inventory, priced their products such that their business was profitable, arranged loans, managed cash, interacted with customers, spoke to students in assemblies to promote their business, and organised their time effectively.

The groups sold their products at school during breaks and lunch, as well as by having booths at annual campus bazaar events hosted by the Parent Organisations of Puxi and Pudong (POP). Mr Paul Smith, Secondary Business Teacher at YCIS who co-ordinated the Enterprise project, commented, “It has been fantastic to see students develop their skills in Enterprise throughout the year. All of the groups put great thought into the products they sold, and their success at various school events showed that they have the confidence and ability to be successful entrepreneurs in future.

Enjoying the accomplishments of their business’ success, the Enterprise students reflected upon their entrepreneurial journeys:

Frances: “We worked extremely hard over the last few months to set up our business. To see it all come together was incredibly rewarding and it was a perfect opportunity to practise our skills in Enterprise.”

Hannah: “Running our own business was a very valuable learning experience. We had a great time improving our skills in marketing and customer service.”

Alice: “Ten months ago we had no idea what running a business would be like. We have gained an incredible amount of experience, and now know that creating a business isn't always easy!”

Ri Yu: “Selling our products was a great way for us to see first-hand how to satisfy customer’s needs. We practised our skills in communicating with lots of different people, such as the attendees at the POP events.”

To learn more about the unique IGCSE programme at YCIS, please click here.