Entrepreneurial secondary school students will set up shop at St David’s Cardiff this week to exhibit and sell their own products.

The students from four Welsh schools are part of the Young Enterprise charitable programme to empower young people and inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. After designing their own products and creating their own business, the students have been awarded a place at the city shopping centre’s pop-up trade fair which will be hosted in the A Welsh Secret store on Friday, November 24, from 10am to 3pm.

The students will showcase their own business ideas, selling products they have designed themselves to guests. The stalls will sell Christmas Eve boxes full of festive toys, activities and treats in wooden boxes made out of pallets, as well as handmade Christmas decorations, Welsh language cards, bee-related products and Christmas gifts made from sustainable materials. Funds raised from the sale of any products will go towards developing their business and future products.

Young Enterprise is a national charity that motivates young people to succeed in the changing world of work by equipping them with the work skills, knowledge and confidence they need. The students have made all the decisions about their business, from deciding the company name and product, to creating a business plan, managing their finances and selling their products.

The teams at the trade fair are from Maesteg School, Penarth’s Ysgol Y Deri, Howell’s School in Llandaff, and Ysgol Gyfun Penweddig in Aberystwyth.

Helen Morgan, Centre Director of St David’s Cardiff, commented:

“We’re looking forward to welcoming these impressive student entrepreneurs and giving them a taste of retail life at the trade fair event. We’d like to encourage guests to come and see them in action and support what could be one of Wales’ next home-grown businesses.”

Ian Paul, owner of A Welsh Secret, commented:

“After reviewing the submissions, we were unable to separate any school that did not deserve the opportunity to showcase their products in our store. We were so impressed by the quality, the thought that has gone into the products and the real understanding of the opportunity offered that we are genuinely excited to work with them all. A Welsh Secret is pleased to be working with Young Enterprise and St David’s to provide a platform for the excellent innovative Young Enterprise competition winners in our store. We are passionate about being part of and adding to our community, supporting true Welsh producers and shopping local in a sustainable environment.”

Sharon Davies, CEO of Young Enterprise, said:

“At Young Enterprise, we are passionate about creating meaningful opportunities which support young people to build confidence and critical skills that have real potential to enhance their futures. We firmly believe that giving young people opportunities to develop and apply new learning within a practical, real-world setting has the potential to make a real contribution to the UK’s future productivity. Benefiting them, their families, their communities, and the economy overall. Taking part in Young Enterprise’s Company Programme and Team Programme and selling at the Cardiff Trading Opportunity to members of the public helps to prepare young people for the world of work. We are delighted to be able to work collaboratively with A Welsh Secret and St David’s to support this opportunity.”