It's one of our favourite times of the academic year, Company Programme regional finals!

Each year this is the highlight for many of the young people participating in our Company Programme, competing against their peers at a regional level in order to have one team sent forward to our national final, part of our Festival of Youth Enterprise, returning this year to Hampden Park.

This year, we have 14 regions competing with their students going head-to-head on a range of areas including their Company Report, Presentation and Interview.

We know that whatever the outcome, you've all worked so hard and demonstrated a real flair for enterprise.

When are the regional finals?

Monday 11th March
Dunbartonshire, Strathclyde University

Thursday 14th March
Renfrewshire, The Normandy Hotel

Tuesday 19th March
Forth Valley, Codebase Stirling
Grampian, Leonardo Inn Hotel
Highland & Moray, Strathpeffer Pavilion
Tayside, Forbes of Kingussie

Wednesday 20th March
Lothian, Edinburgh Napier University
Orkney, UHI

Thursday 21st March
Borders, Borders College
Dumfries & Galloway, Cairndale Hotel

Tuesday 26th March
Glasgow, University of Glasgow

Wednesday 27th March
Ayrshire, Centrestage Kilmarnock

Thursday 28th March
Fife, Carnegie Conference Centre

What is the Company Programme?

Running over the course of a full academic year, young people from S5 & S6 start up their own student company, running through the key milestones of developing an idea, conducting market research, creating the product or service, promoting that product and ultimately trading it.

You might expect this to be a programme specifically targeted at those with an interest in business, however the 2,000 young people who participate each year across Scotland have a very broad range of interests. Company Programme can be used to provide a real-life context to many subject areas — design and computing involved in the design of the product, English to develop the persuasive language for marketing, or Maths to establish a profitable selling price - student's involvement in Company Programme provides a rich real-life learning experience.

Schools have also used Company Programme to support groups of young people who may require additional intervention due to low self-esteem, lack of confidence or social challenges.

We want to wish all of our young entrepreneurs the very best at the regional finals, we can't wait to attend some of these and hear all about your journey.