Eirias Comprehensive Pupil Scoops Online Sports Prize

5 Feb 2008

 

From Left to Right: Amanda Liquorice with Tom Willingham Eirias Comprehensive and Maldwyn Jones - Venture Wales

Issued: 5 February 2008

                 

 

Eirias Comprehensive pupil scoops top title in online sports game

 

A Conwy schoolboy has scooped the top prize in an online business game which tests young people’s business skills by giving them the opportunity to sell rugby kit and accessories online.

 

Eirias Comprehensive pupil Tom Willingham, aged 14, beat 500 competing youngsters from across Wales at Venture Game Wales, a web-based game launched by Microsoft and leading business support agency Venture Wales to teach young people business and enterprise skills. He was presented with a prize of a Microsoft Xbox 360 by Stuart Ball, Programme Manager for Microsoft’s Partners in Learning in Wales.

 

All four Welsh rugby regions have lent their support to the game, which is available free of charge to every secondary school in Wales. In the game pupils experience everything that is involved in running a retail business including the hiring and firing of staff, stock control and budget forecasting.

 

Pupils can choose their favourite team upon which to base their shop, can see how well they are doing against other pupils and schools and chart their progress on a scoreboard. Tom’s store, which was based on the Welsh rugby team, is the best performing store out of over 2000 created since the game was launched in October 2007.

 

Maldwyn Jones, Venture Wales’ Regional Manager for North Wales, said: “The future of the Welsh economy depends on the development of entrepreneurial skills within our schoolchildren today. It is therefore important to give young people the experience they need to test and develop those skills.

 

“Venture Wales is proud to be associated with this exciting educational game which is designed to help young people acquire the mindset of an entrepreneur from an early age. 

 

“Tom has done really well to beat many hundreds of other young people across Wales playing the game, and the gauntlet has now been thrown down for other young people to improve on his score!”

 

Details of the game can be found at www.venturegamewales.co.uk. The game will be offered to every secondary school in Wales for free until June 2008. Venture Wales is hoping to source sponsorship so that they can maintain the game’s free status and offer further prizes.

 

Schools interested in finding out more about Venture Game Wales can contact Donna Jarman at Venture Wales on 01443 742888.