YOUNG entrepreneurs are calling on the Government to help them become the business leaders of the future.

Bosses at Young Enterprise, the Oxford-based charity which gives youngsters the chance to run their own businesses, want the Government to put entrepreneurial skills on the National Curriculum.

They are also calling for businesses to free up staff to work with youngsters and for schools to commit to working with employers in a bid to drive the future UK economy forward.

Gordon Beech, chairman of the Oxfordshire strategic board of Young Enterprise, said: “Many young people leaving school today do not have a clue what they want to do or how business works.

“We want to encourage the Government and businesses to take an active role in helping youngsters with their future careers and even inspire them to start their own businesses.”

John May, chief executive of Young Enterprise, added: “It’s vital that young people have the enterprise and entrepreneurial skills to drive our economic growth, as well as to stand out in a very competitive market place and ensure they succeed in the workplace.

“We need to work together to build relationships between education and business, and we need the Government to help.

“We need to help young people successfully cross the bridge between education and work.”

Teenagers, teachers and employers gathered to launch a special charter to help boost entrepreneurship.

Among guests at the launch event under Oxford’s Bridge of Sighs were pupils from the Oxford Spires Academy in East Oxford, who successfully ran their own company producing a school magazine in this year’s Young Enterprise programme.

To sign up, see the website young-enterprise.org.uk