Enterprise Studies is a course unlike any other, where students learn how to pull together and work as a team, developing a product with the aim of selling it to their peers in a high-pressure, one-lunch-break Market Day.

Enterprise Studies has grown in popularity over the past couple of years, and in Terms 1 and 2 we ran two classes.  As a result, Market Day, held in week 10 of Term 2, was one of our biggest yet. And it was a blast!

It was also very daunting.  What to make?  How much to make?  How to successfully sell out with so many other stalls trying to do the same thing?  It was students’ time (and money) on the line!

On the day, the teams that performed best were those who pulled together well as a team, were the most organised ahead of time, and worked well under pressure.  Riccarton students were tempted with a full range of products, including sushi, pizza, bath bombs, American hot dogs, smoothies, home baking, nachos, and more.

To succeed, the teams had to put themselves out there, dealing with the public, finding solutions to problems fast, keeping customers happy, making snap decisions … very real-life problems faced by all businesses.

We’re very grateful to all the local firms who supported this semester’s Market Day teams, with donations, materials, ingredients, and advice. Thank you.  It’s a steep learning curve for the students, but a valuable experience they will never forget.