The real apprentices….
SMART Business Advisory & Consulting are a growing team of 30 consultants based in the City. With the support and guidance of City Action, SMART developed a bespoke financial literacy and enterprise programme to benefit children within the local community and to develop their employees’ skills.
About the volunteer programme
In consultation with Halley Primary School in Tower Hamlets, several volunteers from SMART developed ‘the Apprentice Challenge’ - a programme inspired by the BBC show that requires students to form a company, get a bank loan, develop and market a product, and then sell it for a profit to their peers. The SMART volunteers supported the four week programme and were nicknamed ‘the suits’ by their year six group as they undertook the roles of mentors, bank managers and the final judging panel! The winning team were treated to lunch and a trip on the London Eye with the SMART volunteers.
Mich Maflin, Halley Primary School
Further support for Halley School
The successful programme has now been running for its second year and SMART volunteers have also supported other year groups by sponsoring school trips to London Zoo and the opera. A further 8 volunteers are also providing one to one weekly reading support to a number of Halley students.
Leading by example
SMART volunteers collaborated with Tower Hamlets Education Business Partnership so they could roll out ‘the Apprentice Challenge’ to other schools in the borough. City Action member, Bank of New York Mellon are also undertaking the programme with their school partner in Tower Hamlets.
Geoff Macdiarmid, SMART Business Advisory & Consulting UK
