THE Co-operative Group has engaged a new team of young business partners in Hull to help take the city's social pulse – 30 students from the local Andrew Marvell Business and Enterprise College.
The class of 15-year-olds are on a quest to find out what people think about the city armed with a survey which they helped to design. Managers from the Group have already spent time with the students to plan the exercise which has two aims – to give them practical experience in a business environment and at the same time, to gather public opinion which will help inform the Group's work in the local community.
The Andrew Marvell Business and Enterprise College, in Barham Road, Hull, is a co-operative sponsored specialist school, with particular focus on teaching students the co-operative way of business.
John Smith, a Hull-based director of the Co-operative Group explained: "This initiative is no pie-in-the-sky classroom exercise, but a real business project that needs to deliver results so that we can focus our resources where they're most needed."
Gary Mangan, deputy head of the college, commented: "This is invaluable hands-on experience for the students, which gives them a real taste of what it's like to work in a business environment."
The research project will be concluded later this year. The Co-op Group operates a number of businesses in the Hull area including Welcome food stores, Travelcare, Co-operative Funeralcare and the Co-operative Bank.
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