Young Enterprise winner has designs on The Apprentice

Luke Pagliaro. Remember that name. I predict it’ll be one that crops up in the future.

Luke was the Managing Director of Stanground College’s Young Enterprise company.

It’s a brilliant scheme, run through schools, which has pupils setting up and running a company during a school year. They sell shares to family and friends and the idea is to be able to pay them a dividend at the end. Of course, it’s a fantastic learning opportunity and one which gives those who take part a really good insight into business.

We’re proud to have been involved in the Peterborough Young Enterprise for a long time and have seen some great businesses – and young business people.

At the end of the year there is an award ceremony and we sponsor the Best Managing Director category.

The top MDs give a presentation about their company and themselves from which a winner is picked. It’s a privilege to meet some of the students and find out what makes them tick.

Luke was this year’s winner. And a very worthy one too.

At 15 he’s two school years younger than a lot of the students taking part. Yet he was confident, articulate and injected real humour into his presentation. He didn’t even have crib notes which I can never do!

Luke came into the office after the event and told us how he’d won a classroom version of The Apprentice and likes the idea of taking part himself in a few year’s time.

Like I said – remember that name!