Avonbourne Trust students – serious about the business of education. The Trust which includes Avonwood Primary, Avonbourne College, Harewood College and the Sixth Form, is becoming a Peter Jones Foundation Academy.
Britain’s most enterprising college is joining forces with Dragon’s Den star Peter Jones CBE to find the business leaders of tomorrow.
Bournemouth’s Avonbourne Sixth Form, once dubbed Britain’s most enterprising college, is among the first in the country to become a Peter Jones Enterprise Academy and applications are now open for new students.
The Academy, the only one of its type in the south west, equips young people with the practical skills and experience needed to excel in the working world.
And its tailored courses have been developed by the Dragons’ Den star in partnership with Pearson (Edexcel), the UK’s largest educational awarding body.
CEO of Avonbourne Trust, Debbie Godfrey-Phaure, said: “We’re extremely excited to be able to offer the young people of Bournemouth the opportunity to join the Avonbourne Peter Jones Enterprise Academy.
“This diverse and ‘hands-on’ course gives young people the experience, skills and knowledge needed to build long, successful careers and will be a fantastic addition to our curriculum.
“As a business and enterprise trust all four of our academies are very much about preparing students for employment and bringing out the entrepreneur in them all.
“That ethos begins at the very start of their education and continues right until a student leaves after sixth form.”
Students aged 16-19 can enrol for the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy, where the business-led courses aim to unleash young people’s entrepreneurial talent by giving them the opportunity to ‘learn by doing’.
Once on the course, the students will be given the unique opportunity to learn first-hand the essential skills needed for the world of work.
The Avonbourne Peter Jones Enterprise Academy will act as a hub of outstanding enterprise provision, where students receive pioneering support to start businesses and achieve globally recognised qualifications in business, enterprise and entrepreneurship.
Peter Jones CBE commented: “I’m absolutely delighted to announce this opportunity for Avonbourne Sixth Form to host a Peter Jones Enterprise Academy and to help young people across Bournemouth develop the real-world business skills to help them succeed in life.
“I believe all young people deserve a bright future and I started my Foundation with a clear goal – to improve young people’s lives. Good enterprise education is an essential element of this and should be part of all schools.
“Today’s launch of the Avonbourne Peter Jones Enterprise Academy will further help us create the next generation of business leaders, entrepreneurs and young people with the skills to succeed in the world of work.”
Avonbourne Trust – which comprises Avonbourne Sixth Form, Avonbourne College, Harewood College and Avonwood Primary – has a long pedigree in encouraging enterprise in its students.
The Trust has its own dedicated, full-time head of careers and employability to spearhead its Inspirational Futures (IF) initiative to ensure its students are work-ready.
It also designed, and is now the lead member of, the Europe-wide Erasmus plus research programme aimed at developing employability and entrepreneurship skills in young people, so that they can work anywhere in the world.
Avonbourne was also the first Trust in Dorset to be awarded the Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole (BDP) Employment and Education Charter.
Avonbourne sixth formers have also won Peter Jones’s National Tycoon Enterprise Competition, receiving their prize from HRH Duke of York at Buckingham Palace.
And the Trust has been formally working with the Peter Jones Foundation since 2015 when it became a Peter Jones Foundation School.
Now the new Avonbourne Peter Jones Enterprise Academy takes it to another level, with special courses and qualifications for would-be businessmen and women.
Any student or parent wishing to find out more information on how to apply to join the Avonbourne Peter Jones Enterprise Academy can contact Kathryn Loughnan, Director of Sixth Form – kathryn.loughnan@avonbournetrust.org
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