Young achievers take over City Gate

Products ranging from euro coin albums to dog-litter kits to head massagers are being displayed by teams of enterprising young students forming a number of Young Enterprise companies at the HSBC Young Enterprise Trade Fair 2007.

The fair opened at City Gate, Valletta yesterday and continues today from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Young Enterprise companies are taking part in the fair and another company, Loaded, set up by St Aloysius College students, producing natural health solutions, is not participating.

The companies include Eleven (euro-coin albums), Fresh (mini-dehumidifiers), and Light Fusion (candles) all from St Aloysius College; Greeaction (fire briquettes/glass jewellery), DecorActive (custom key and letter holders); Exclusive (cushions and pillows); Mobeye (mobile magnifying lenses) all from the Junior College; Novus (battery testers/soft toys) from Verdala International School; The Niche (head massager/health CDs and coterie (umbrella stands) both from Giovanni Curmi Higher; and Bal-Jacked (decorative lamps) and Visions (dog litter kits) from De La Salle College.

The last company, producing dog litter kits, is made up of 13 college students who are producing the K-9 Cleaning Kit, a kit contained in an attractive pouch to "help dog owners abide by the law". The pouch contains bio-degradable scoopers that are made of recycled cardboard produced in a way to make it easier to scoop dog excrement. The kit comes complete with wet wipes.

Visions are proud they are producing something which, at a price of Lm3.25, helps keep the environment clean and enables company members to make some money.

Visions are also offering partner solutions through which the business community can employ company members for a certain period of time to sell their products at a time of staff shortage or during peak shopping periods.

Members of Visions are also being given a helping hand by Freddie Fenech of the Abandoned Animals Association, who took the opportunity to show four fine Labrador puppies at their stand. The puppies are for homing.

Mr Fenech is opening his dog sanctuary at Luqa for the public every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The fair was launched in the presence of Edwin Vassallo, Parliamentary Secretary for Small Businesses and Enterprise, and Sally Robson, chief operating officer, HSBC Malta.

Over the past four years, HSBC has provided more than Lm55,000 in support for Young Enterprise, apart from a number of staff members, who act as judges and advisers to the teams. This year HSBC, as the main partner of Young Enterprise Malta, presented a new Lm15,000 sponsorship for the coming 12 months.

"The government is working through the Parliamentary Secretariat for Small Business and the Self Employed in order to ensure that more students are involved in entrepreneurship. My secretariat has been working hand-in-hand with Young Enterprise, and, in fact, together we will be launching the Young Enterprise Primary Education project. This will ensure that the Young Enterprise scheme will be introduced in primary schools for the first time.

"The project will be launched in April in six pilot schools. In this way, education in entrepreneurship will be introduced also at a primary level. Next scholastic year, the project will be introduced in all primary schools in Malta and Gozo," Mr Vassallo said.

The Parliamentary Secretariat for Small Business and the Self Employed has allocated a person to work directly with Young Enterprise in order to help the organisation strengthen its operations and initiatives in favour of entrepreneurship education.

He said the government, through his secretariat, has made a pact with a number of student organisations in order to ensure that entrepreneurship education is successful in Malta.

"At HSBC we wholeheartedly believe in providing young people with the opportunity for developing business acumen. Since Young Enterprise delivers such a great educational programme, we are only too happy to give our strong support," Ms Robson said.

More information on Young Enterprise Malta is available on www.youngenterprise.org.mt or by calling 2124 4991.