A new breed of dragons on the horizon

New figures have revealed that the number of young people hoping to follow in the footsteps of Peter Jones, Duncan Bannatyne and other Dragon’s Den favourites has soared – despite the current economic climate.

National qualification provider NCFE has seen a dramatic rise in the number of students studying enterprise qualifications – with a 50 per cent increase over the past six months.

The qualification provider says it believes this rise will pave the way for a new wave of enterprising spirit in the UK.

The NCFE level 1 and 2 enterprise qualifications enable students to understand and explore enterprise capabilities, develop key skills and plan and carry out an enterprising project. The qualifications are also supported by financial capability and economic and business understanding.

Young people across the UK have been studying the qualifications – including students as young as 14 years old. They have also been used to support a number of self-employment initiatives around the country.

David Grailey, Chief Executive at NCFE, said: “Enterprise continues to play an important part business, politics and education so it is vital that we encourage and develop the nation’s skills in this area.

“The NCFE enterprise qualifications are really capturing young peoples’ imagination, allowing them to develop key skills, be innovative and creative and plan and deliver enterprising projects.

“We have had a great response since the qualifications were launched – from both students and teachers and we are positive that the demand for these qualifications will continue.”