In the 2020 academic year, Elevator worked with more than 1,000 pupils at 16 schools in the north-east and Tayside.
One school to take part was Goodleyburn Primary in Perth. Primary 6 teacher Pamela Biccochi signed her class up to take part in the Scottish Inventors Challenge (SIC). The challenge consists of a full day programme for upper primary, delivered in-school, which encourages young people to learn about successful inventions hailing from Scotland before going on to work in teams on their own ‘reinventions’ of well-known products.
Pamela commented: “I had taken part in SIC previously and seen how successful it was, and then came across Elevator through a post on a Scottish Primary Teacher Facebook page. The class were doing a project on Scottish inventors, and I knew from meeting Richard previously that the aims of the day tied in well.”
Pamela cites her experience of the workshop as ‘really positive’, with the kids remaining engaged throughout.
“Richard’s enthusiasm for his subject shines through. He is knowledgeable, can listen to what the children are saying and interact with them while still keeping the day on track. The children are kept busy and engaged through the whole day through a mix of practical activities and discussion. There is an emphasis on deadlines at times which encourages the children to think fast and make quick decisions.”
Pupil feedback is, of course, just as important and Pamela’s class of budding entrepreneurs also shared their comments. Jessica, aged 10, said: “My favourite part was when we had to build the prototype and do the presentation.” The children also enjoyed the chance to work in groups, with 10-year-old Aiden saying: “I learned a lot about teamwork.”
For other schools considering taking part, Pamela had this advice: “I would absolutely recommend taking part! It’s a whole day of exciting, fun, interactive learning delivered with minimal input from the teacher required as Richard has the whole day planned out.”
At Elevator, we know that for many young people the traditional options when leaving school are often limited to getting a job or going on to further education. We’re passionate about presenting the third option of starting a business as a real alternative.
Many schools have recognised the importance of Enterprise in Education and the value that Elevator can bring to the education of their young people, resulting in our workshops being embedded throughout the 2021/22 academic year in several secondary schools from S1 to S6.