Darwen high school in enterprise first (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Darwen high school in enterprise first

2:16pm Tuesday 9th March 2010

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AN East Lancashire high school has become the first in the country to incorporate a business hub were students can run their own enterprises.

Darwen Aldridge Community Academy will have 11 business incubation pods where 16 to 24-year-olds can set up and run their businesses.

Principal Brendan Loughran said he was inspired to include a viable business centre in the design as many youngsters have ambitions to set up their own enterprises.

But he said by the time schoochildren reach the age of 16 very few actually set up their own businesses once they leave.

He did not know why that was the case but said the new Entrepreneurship Centre would provide an opportunity for youngsters to learn about business with the support of the school when needed.

The academy in Redearth Road, Darwen, has secured funding from Blackburn with Darwen’s Local Enterprise Growth Initiative for the Entrepreneurship Centre can become an Entrepreneurship haven for school leavers.

The centre will open when the £45million academy, which is backed by the Aldridge Foundation, opens in September.

Mr Loughran said that he Aldridge Foundation, which promotes entrepreneurship to raise aspirations, wanted to include ‘something different.’

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