Students Showcase Entrepreneurship Skills at National Schools Championship Boot Camp

Several hundred students and their teachers recently completed the five-day boot camp phase of the annual Stanbic National Schools Championship (NSC), showcasing their entrepreneurship skills and innovative business ideas.

In his closing remarks, Francis Karuhanga, Chief Executive of Stanbic Uganda Holdings Limited, expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Education and Sports for their enthusiastic support of the NSC initiative. He stated, “I want to thank the Ministry of Education and Sports for warmly welcoming the NSC idea and partnering with us on this journey to transform the next generation of leaders.”

“To date, the Stanbic National Schools Championship has impacted more than 480,000 learners, teachers, and community members, both directly and indirectly. I aspire to see the National Schools Championship reach millions of youths, not just thousands. I want to see more schools, both rural and urban, engage in this innovation quest,” he added.

Hosted by Gayaza High School, the boot camp provided students with the opportunity to interact with mentors through various training sessions, including psychosocial/mental health, starting a small business, building a successful brand, marketing, the business model canvas, structuring ideas, and understanding customer needs.

During the market stimulation activity, students demonstrated their sales skills. This year marks the ninth edition of the NSC, running under the theme ‘Empowering the Job Creators of Tomorrow,’ with the 2024 tagline ‘Powering Innovation for Job Creation.’

Diana Ondoga, Manager of Corporate Social Investments at Stanbic Bank, said, “The boot camp aims to change the mindset of learners aged 13 to 18. This program seeks to uncover the potential within these learners and prepare them to contribute solutions to societal challenges. The boot camp equips them with skills in areas such as the business model canvas, financial literacy, personal development, and psychosocial wellness. We also gave them the opportunity to transform UGX50,000 into a profit.”

The National Schools Championship is Stanbic Bank’s flagship Corporate Social Investment. Over the years, the competition has helped develop more than 200 successful businesses, demonstrating the bank’s commitment to addressing youth unemployment and bridging the gap between education and job creation.

Ondoga remarked, “It’s remarkable that the best group was able to generate revenues of UGX260,000 and a profit of UGX210,000 from the initial UGX50,000. We see learners being reminded that they possess the potential to become valuable members of society.”

This year, the competition includes four main categories. The first, the Student Grow Challenge, is for vocational and secondary schools with ongoing and active innovative projects or businesses.

The Student Spark Challenge is for vocational and secondary schools in Uganda to apply on behalf of their students with innovative projects or business ideas.

The AlumGrow Challenge is for secondary and vocational schools that previously participated in the Stanbic NSC boot camp and have started a unique business or social project.

The Teachinnovate for Teachers category targets innovations by teachers at secondary and vocational schools who are involved in a unique business, social project, or innovative teaching approach.