Inspiring the next generation of leaders
3 October 2017
Cardiff Business School is helping to inspire belief and ambition in a new generation of future leaders at a local primary school.
Pupils from Adamsdown Primary School were welcomed to the Business School at the end of their Stepping into Business project, a scheme designed to help develop children’s life skills including communication, resilience, problem-solving and teamwork, while also boosting their confidence.
Adamsdown approached Cardiff Business School looking for mentors who would work with pupils who had been tasked with designing a product, creating it, and selling it to parents.
Dr Carolyn Strong and Dr Amy Yau of the School’s Marketing and Strategy section, visited Adamsdown to advise the Year 5 and 6 pupils on their business plans and marketing strategies and were impressed by their commitment and creativity. The pupils not only made the products but also created a brand for them, which included labels and packaging. To mark the end of the project Dr Strong invited the pupils to visit the Business School where they attended talks on marketing, toured the School, met with the Dean, Professor Martin Kitchener, and set-up a marketplace to sell their products.
Adamsdown Head teacher, Mrs Emma Thomas, said: “Many of our pupils come from families that have never accessed higher education. Visiting Cardiff Business School allowed the children to experience a day in the life of a student and meet inspirational people such as Professor Kitchener. Our children were particularly enthused by his talk and immediately began discussing their own ideas of going to university. The experiences provided by Cardiff University and the Business School played a significant part in raising the aspirations of our pupils who come from one of the most deprived areas of Cardiff.
“The Stepping into Business project was hugely significant to all the children and the coaching and feedback provided by the staff from the University enhanced the experience greatly. Our link with the Business School allowed us to open the eyes of our children to new possibilities and we look forward to further developing this relationship in the future.”
Professor Kitchener added: “It was our pleasure to welcome the Adamsdown pupils to Cardiff Business School and have the opportunity help them see that higher education is accessible to them. I was inspired by their creative and entrepreneurial spirit as well as their confidence and eloquence in communicating their ideas and business projects.
“As the world’s first Public Value Business School, we are committed to promoting economic and social improvement in communities around the world, but it starts at home and in our locality. Helping people to achieve their ambitions and find their way to make a positive contribution – in business, and in society – is key to our academic provision, employability support and pastoral care. I hope the Adamsdown pupils who visited us before the summer, and who are now embarking on their secondary school adventures, have a stronger belief in what they can achieve and a sense of a community that is cheering them on.”
