Co-op Masterclass at Shireland Academy

On 11th December, Co-operative Futures and Central England Co-operative (CEC) delivered a Co-ops Masterclass for a group of Lower Sixth Business Studies students at Shireland Academy in Smethwick.

The Co-operative Masterclass has been specially designed by CEC to engage with young people who are about to enter the world of work. The class revolves around the business case for co-operatives and gets students to see if there is a gap in the market for co-operatives for young people.

The workshop also encourages students to talk about and get their opinion on a range of topics such as Fairtrade, democracy, elections, voting and membership.

The morning started off with a quick fire quiz on co-operative business to provide an introduction for the students. We then carried out a logo and slogan quiz to highlight the importance of having a strong brand for a business.

The class was then split into groups to design their own co-operative businesses. Some great ideas came out of the session, including a fairtrade chocolate brand, a co-operative games design agency, and a multi-purpose business providing daycare facilities during the day and a nightclub in the evening. Very innovative!

One of the groups came up with the idea of FutureScope – a co-operative games design agency

The students that took part then presented their ideas back to their peers and discussed how their businesses incorporated the Co-operative Values and Principles.