Enterprise Pilot: 10 North East Schools Meet Entrepreneurs

Young people from 10 secondary schools in the North East are working with local entrepreneurs, start-ups and growing firms on real business problems, in a pilot meant to become a model for enterprise education across England.

The North East Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Pilot is run through the Careers Hub of the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority, the body led by Mayor Kim McGuinness that covers North Tyneside along with Newcastle, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland, Northumberland and County Durham. It is paid for by Goldman Sachs and the entrepreneur Sir Richard Harpin, and delivered with The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC), the national body for careers education in schools.

The authority’s announcement does not name the 10 schools, so it is not yet clear whether any are in Whitley Bay or elsewhere in North Tyneside.

What the pupils will do

According to the release, students will use their contacts with local businesses “to tackle real-world business challenges, to gain confidence to turn ideas into opportunities and explore entrepreneurial pathways”. The partners say the aim is to tie enterprise teaching to the region’s own economic priorities, and to produce a blueprint that schools across the country could use.

The pilot began in June 2026. On Wednesday 4 November Sir Richard, who founded HomeServe and built it into a £4 billion business, and Anthony Gutman, Co-CEO of Goldman Sachs International, are talking to pupils about their careers, including managing risk and coming back from setbacks.

It follows the Government-backed Maple Review, which recommended practical entrepreneurship education in every state secondary school, starting in the most economically deprived areas. The release also places it ahead of the Government’s response to the Milburn Review on young people and work.

The gap it is trying to close

CEC’s annual survey of 330,000 young people found that just 5% of students in the North East know about careers that need entrepreneurial skills, and 17% do not know what job they want to do. The partners also point out that the North East has fewer businesses per person than the rest of the country, despite recent growth in start-ups.

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said: “There is no shortage of talent, ambition, or entrepreneurial spirit among young people in our region: what we need is the opportunity to match it.

“Giving young people the skills, confidence and experience they need is vital to making sure they go on to a brilliant career.

“This pilot is exactly the kind of innovative approach we should be championing, giving young people the best opportunities to succeed.”

“I started my first business selling rabbits”

Sir Richard, who also founded The Enterprise Trust, a charity supporting young entrepreneurs, said: “I started my first business selling rabbits when I was six years old. I learned about enterprise by having a go, making mistakes and trying again.

“Yet just 35% of young adults who attended secondary school in England received guidance and support on starting a business. That needs to change. Every young person should have the chance to develop the confidence, creativity and skills to turn ideas into opportunities.

“By giving young people that experience early, we can help build the next generation of entrepreneurs, businesses and jobs. The North East has a proud history of innovation and enterprise, and there’s no reason why what we’re starting here can’t ultimately work across Britain.”

Anthony Gutman said the scheme was “about giving young people direct access to business leaders, real-world challenges and the confidence to think differently about their futures”, and pointed to the bank’s 10,000 Small Businesses programme. “By integrating enterprise education into the curriculum, we are not just preparing young people for jobs, we are empowering a new generation of entrepreneurs,” he said.

Jonathan Reynolds MP, the Government’s business secretary, said: “Work experience is vital if we’re going to help young people develop the confidence and skills they need to succeed. This partnership is a great example of businesses and educators working together to give everyone a fair chance to get on, regardless of their background or where they live.”

John Yarham, Chief Executive of The Careers & Enterprise Company, said: “The North East is showing what is possible when careers education, enterprise and local economic priorities come together. Through our network of Careers Hubs, we have an opportunity to take what works here and build a model that schools across the country can adopt.

“Our ambition is simple: enterprise education should not be a privilege available to a few, but an opportunity for every young person.”

What it means for you

If your child is at secondary school in North Tyneside, their school’s careers lead is the person to ask whether it is one of the 10 taking part, or how it works with the Careers Hub. CEC says its 44 Careers Hubs cover 96% of schools and colleges in England.

Local businesses that want to work with schools can approach the Careers Hub through the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority. The pilot sits alongside the authority’s other youth schemes, including the apprenticeship talent pool approved on 27 October.