Our Core Courses were the initial courses formulated by Enabling Enterprise, and they evolved directly out of our experiences in trying to re-engage students at secondary school with the learning process and equipping them with a fuller set of skills, experiences and aspirations. Being able to visit top UK businesses gives students an invaluable opportunity to experience different professions from an early age.
Tailored to the curriculum
Aimed at students working at Key Stages 3 and 4, they are designed to bring learning to life by highlighting the practical application of each subject and its relevance to the world of work. Each course is tailored to the mainstream curriculum, meaning that teachers can use our resources whilst fulfilling their wider teaching objectives. For example, the English programme allows students to explore the subject through creating a publication, while the ICT programme sees students build a website and explore the role of technology in different organisations.
Increased engagement and skills
Teachers running our Core courses have found that the concept of a year-long project has boosted their students’ engagement with their subjects, and that the qualifications gained at the end of the year prove invaluable for each students’ future prospects.
Subjects available
We have courses tailored to: Business, English, Maths, Science, ICT, Spanish and French.
Start Dates and Programme Length
This course has two cohorts of schools each year, and can be started in September/October or in February/March. The course can either be taught as a full year (35 weeks) or as a half year (18 weeks) – the full year course is accredited as a Level 2 Certificate, whilst the half year is accredited as a Level 2 Award with a lower GCSE equivalence. It is possible for schools to transfer from the half year to the full year, and you should get in touch with any questions about this.
Get involved:
More about our Programmes:
Business
Over the course of a year students are challenged to create a social enterprise or business. From this they carry out market research, present their proposals, and then have the chance to implement their plans in teams, supported by weekly workshops.
English
On our English programme, students are set to work writing a yearbook, anthology or magazine over the course of the year. At the same time, they give presentations on how their work is progressing, and then have the task of marketing their publications. Students learn about the enterprise essentials behind any successful project – coordinating the writing, design, production and promotion of their masterpiece.
Maths
This module inspires students to choose a new sport for the Olympics. They carry out and analyse market research, work on data handling, design a venue, and work to make sure that the events are financially viable. So far, we have had an interesting mix of suggested sports, from competitive dance-offs to zorbing and something involving a giant hamster wheel…
Science
We combine Science and enterprise by getting students to work in teams to plan and create their own commercial science kit. This integrates evaluating a range of experiments to include, costing their proposals, and then marketing the result. Students also explore the world of pharmaceuticals, how companies use scientific research to create medicines and also the ethics behind commercialising certain aspects of Science.
ICT
This module explores both how IT-based firms like Google, Microsoft, Dell and IBM all use technology in different ways, and also how ICT drives business and public organisations such as the NHS. As well as being challenged to develop their understanding of key applications through different scenarios, students put together a central project in response to a business brief – generally a website which brings together both technological and commercial considerations.
Spanish
This course aims to develop students’ vocabulary and understanding of Spanish culture, while engaging them through working in teams to start and run a small business or social enterprise with an international flavour.
French
After a few warm-up projects including running a French café, students focus on creating a business or social enterprise with a French flavour. This might promote French culture or products, and will involve pitching their ideas in French.
