Students competing to win this year’s Enterprise and Skills Challenge are being mentored by Voip Unlimited managing director Mark Pillow in the run-up to Christmas, in order to effectively sell wooden crafts and Christmas gifts for their company, MODE at stalls across Dorset and Hampshire.

Designed to develop employability and entrepreneurial skills in Dorset’s young people, the Enterprise and Skills Challenge sees teams of students create their own small businesses selling real products with the support of a local business expert. Mark Pillow has been counselling the young people from St Edward’s School, Queen Elizabeth School and Bournemouth School for Girls throughout the process, which will conclude in February 2015 with an award ceremony.

MODE is giving a percentage of proceeds made in the run-up to Christmas to HeadSmart – a campaign launched by Voip Unlimited’s charity of the year, The Brain Tumour Charity, which aims to raise the awareness of brain tumour symptoms in children and young people.

Mark Pillow said: “As team mentor, I’ve been really impressed with the way the MODE team has been working hard to design, make and sell its products. The pre-Christmas period is a key time for making sales and the innovative crafts have proved really popular with the general public.

 

“The team has really made the effort to sell far and wide, with stalls at the Dolphin Shopping Centre, Wimborne Market and even West Quay Shopping Centre in Southampton. HeadSmart is such a worthy cause and the MODE team recognises this and has worked really hard to support it.”