Following the recent success of the ‘Be Your Own Boss’ pilot programme with The Perfect Place to Grow in Margate, Growing Kent & Medway is now bringing its youth enterprise programme to Medway.

‘Be Your Own Boss’ provides free entrepreneurial and kitchen skills training in a welcoming environment to young people aged 18 to 24 years. The next programme will run in collaboration with The Sunlight Development Trust in Gillingham and starts on 27th February 2025.

The programme is designed to address the barriers young people face in being self-employed or starting their own business. Youth unemployment in Medway is currently 6.5%, compared to 5.6% in Kent and 5.4% across Great Britain. Providing young people with the confidence and skills to create their own business can help them explore different career paths, ultimately leading to growth in the local economy and potentially creating new employment opportunities.

The programme will provide participants with a combination of business skills, kitchen training, and real-world insights. The sessions cover a diverse range of topics, including identifying target customers, market research, branding, marketing, social media, and finance. Each session will start with hands-on training in the kitchen, learning culinary skills, and working together to create a new plant-based food product. Successful local entrepreneurs from the Growing Kent & Medway mentoring programme will share their experiences of self-employment. The
afternoon session will teach essential business skills. In addition to training, participants will be introduced to our network of mentors. These mentors can provide additional, longer-term support to young people.

The programme is delivered in a welcoming and inclusive environment, fostering a sense of community among participants. The Sunlight Development Trust’s commitment to improving social inclusion and strengthening the local community will ensure that all attendees feel supported throughout the programme.

Kamil, a participant in ‘Be Your Own Boss’ at The Perfect Place to Grow, highlighted his experience of the programme, saying, ‘I feel more confident… I have enjoyed meeting new people and working together as a group.’ Another participant, Caleb, emphasised its distinct approach, stating, ‘To my knowledge, this is the only course that offers such experience… so this is a unique course.’ Programme manager, Rebecca Smith, said, ‘Our “Be Your Own Boss” pilot programme highlighted the impressive ideas and entrepreneurial spirit of young people exploring starting their own business. We’re pleased to be collaborating with the Sunlight Development Trust in Medway to support the development of local young people, and we look forward to seeing what they create.’