Local ‘studentpreneur’ reaps rewards

A local schoolboy has proved that he definitely has a mind for business.

Connor Sims, in Grade 11 at Fourways High School, has placed among the top 11 in the country for the Allan Gray Entrepreneurship Challenge 2019. The competition began in early September and is open to all high school learners in South Africa, and required Connor to complete an online task once a week for about five weeks in total that develops entrepreneurship skills and knowledge. This year was the first time that Fourways High School learners participated in the challenge.

“I couldn’t be prouder of my boy,” said Cindy Brown, a business studies teacher at the school who spearheaded this project at the school.

“There were up to 12 online tasks to complete per week. They were all diverse and business-orientated, but not school curriculum-based – for example, they had to create a [business] website, create a fake LinkedIn profile etc.”

Connor came fourth in the overall competition and was also the only learner representing Gauteng during this year’s challenge. He was awarded a R7 500 unit trust from Allan Gray and was also accepted as an entrepreneurial ambassador (or ‘studentpreneur’) by the investment company.

“I have advised Connor to keep his unit trust shares, if he can he must buy more and accumulate it. One day he will reap the rewards,” Brown said.

“This was the first time the school has entered the challenge, so that makes Connor’s achievement so much more commendable. He has given fellow students advice and enjoyed it. Next year the grand prize is his.”

The top three overall winners in the challenge have won an all-expenses-paid trip to Singapore next year to attend the Emerging Technologies Asia Conference.

Details: For more information on the Allan Gray Entrepreneurship Challenge, visit www.entrepreneurshipchallenge.co.za

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