I have just signed up to be an adviser on the Young Enterprise scheme, that is run nationally in participating schools.

If you're unfamiliar, the scheme is an extra curricular activity that invites kids to effectively form a business in their spare time (within guidelines of course) with the aim of making a profit, which, after repaying 'shareholders' (i.e. the ones who stumped up the cash to invest in the first place) is usually put back into the school, or given to charity.

Personally, I think it's great - schools have a job to do, but I feel that a side effect is that kids are simply encouraged to toe the line and conform, which comes at the expense of nurturing natural business talent. Too often, bright and talented kids are channeled into further and higher education when they're not suited to it, and aren't even aware of the 'alternative' opportunities open to them, should they prefer it.

But I'm sure it could also be said that schools are not places to run businesses, and it would detract from their studies.

Has anyone been involved with Young Enterprise, either as pupil/student or as an adviser, and if so, what's your view on it?

I think it's a good scheme. It gets kids interested in business and thinking along terms of how to run a business. Bear in mind though that most of the kids doing it, are not doing it because they are interested in being entrepreneurs, but they want it on their UCAS form and their CV for when they apply to be consultants with the Big4 professional services companies! Still it does them good so I would support it.

How soon can they come around and sweep my chimney?

I hope you have a better experience than I did, the scheme was run by well meaning but self-important volunteers that think they know better than you, especially the teachers (in the one I was involved briefly with), the IT teacher I was speaking to was trying to tell me he knew my business better than I did!

problem is, the kids end up suffering.

Fair do's.

I did YE twice; once at school and once at college. The school one was good, the teacher was interested and gave her all, and the advisers were fairly high up at the Co-Op Bank in Skelmersdale, so the advice and guidance we got was good. It was voluntary too, so the kids involved put in maximum effort because they wanted to be there. We came a close second in the finals and were beaten by a slightly better presentation and a slightly higher profit from our opponents.

In college, however it was appalling. Firstly they made it compulsory at first, so no-one was interested bar a few. The advisers were from the local benefits office (seriously!) and the whole thing was badly run. I was one of about 10% of students who stuck at it, and needless to say because of this we got pasted in the competition stages.

So, you're right - it depends who's involved.

What school courses were available to the likes of James Dyson and Richard Branson?

What's that got to do with anything?

I think Mintball is asking whether entrepreneurship needs to be taught, or can be.

Personally, I think there are elements of entrepreneurship that are part of character make-up rather than knowledge.
The few entrepreneurs I've met wouldn't know their 'rse from their elbow but can spot a deal a mile off.

Will these be genuine businesses providing "real life" goods/services or is it all a bit like running a classroom share trading game thing ?

I’ve found that a lot of these young people’s enterprise schemes are run by mildly successful or unsuccessful business owners who wouldn’t give young people their time of day if they weren’t getting paid by the government or the council to deliver such a scheme.