HSBC Bank Malta has presented a new sponsorship of Lm15,000 to Young Enterprise for the next 12 months.
Over the weekend, 16 teams are taking part in the Young Enterprise HSBC Company Programme and the challenge of testing their products in the market place.
The Young Enterprise organisation has embarked on an exciting period of new opportunities and the launch of several new enterprise education programmes.
This has become possible through the joint efforts of Young Enterprise, the Education Ministry, the Parliamentary Secretariat for Small Enterprises, and with the strong financial support of HSBC Bank Malta plc.
“The current year has been a very important one for Young Enterprise (YE). Not only have we had a large number of students taking part in the HSBC Company Programme, the event for which YE is best known, but thanks to the support from various quarters, we have also been able to work on the development of new programmes and organisations which will help deliver enterprise education to many more young people,” Young Enterprise Malta chairman Josef Camilleri said.
This year’s Young Enterprise National Trade Fair in Freedom Square, Valletta, is open to the public from 10am to 7pm. All 16 teams taking part in this year’s competition, which offers post secondary students the opportunity to set up and run their own business, are taking part in the trade fair.
“Over the past three years, HSBC has provided more than Lm40,000 in support for Young Enterprise as well as a number of staff members, who volunteer to act as judges or advisors to the teams. This has been an excellent investment, helping hundreds of young people to develop the entrepreneurial skills they will need to ensure both they, and Malta, have a prosperous future. Young Enterprise continues to deliver an excellent programme and HSBC is committed to helping it expand its operations and provide much needed enterprise education to youngsters throughout their education,” said HSBC’s head of personal financial services, Godfrey Swain.
The Young Enterprise HSBC Company Programme takes the form of a competition between all participating companies made up of first year post secondary students. The competition focuses on product concept, the overall performance of the company, the corporate social responsibility, overall company image, the future potential, the final presentation, as well as the skills and learning demonstrated.
The winning team goes on to represent Malta in the Junior Achievement – Young Enterprise European Company of the Year competition. This year, the European competition will be held at Interlaken, Switzerland.
“Over recent months the Education Ministry and the Parliamentary Secretariat for Small and Medium Enterprises have been working closely together with Young Enterprise in order to develop the programmes designed by Young Enterprise and implement them in to our education system. This development would not have been possible without the support of YE’s sponsors, particularly HSBC.
“Today, we can once again clearly see how much creativity and determination our young people have. Young Enterprise has always been able to draw these qualities out of our teenagers and this year is no exception. All 16 teams taking part in this year’s HSBC Company Programme deserve credit and all renew our confidence that the future for Malta is bright,” said Education Minister Louis Galea.