Wandsworth Youth Enterprise Centre (WYEC), London, England
A unique youth enterprise model of excellence

WYEC is the Charity, based in Tooting, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, from which EDW has evolved. Michael Manning-Prior, Chief Executive of EDW, which is part of the WYE Group, was for 18 years Chief Executive of WYEC, until 2007, when EDW was established.

On 18th September 2008, WYEC celebrated its 20th Anniversary with a Trade Fair and Gala Dinner, at which a number of Awards were made to successful young entrepreneurs. WYEC is also the winner of the 2008 Enterprising Britain Award for London.

Background

WYEC became operational in 1988, in an area of high unemployment with a large minority ethnic population, to give young people an opportunity to set up and establish their own businesses. For the past 20 years, the Charity has been providing enterprise awareness, business counselling and training and business incubation support to young people aged 14 to 30.

The Charity has successfully raised awareness of the self-employment option among many thousands of young people and helped them to develop over 500 enterprises. WYEC provides 25 incubator units and supports hundreds of young people each year through a mix of community engagement activities, business training and counselling. The Charity’s clients’ businesses have a high survival rate, with 85% - 90% still trading after two years.

A Client-led Approach

A key feature of service delivery has always been a unique empowerment-driven business counselling model, specifically designed to support and meet the practical needs of young people. WYEC’s client-led approach informs all aspects of service provision, from outreach awareness raising activities through to counselling and training support.

Sustainability

In order to establish long term financial sustainability as part of WYEC’s wider model in the area, in 1998 the Charity completed the development of a £2.7 million commercial business centre complex providing 90 small business units within a 46,000 sq. ft. managed workspace environment. This facility, Trident Business Centre, generates income to fund WYEC’s existing activities locally, while directly generating an additional 300 jobs in the small business sector, and ‘move on space’ for clients leaving the youth enterprise incubator centre.

Transferring the ‘Model of Excellence’

Since 1996, WYEC has been transferring and adapting its unique youth enterprise model of excellence both nationally and internationally, and this has given rise to a great deal of interest from government, development agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the development field.

Strategic Direction

In order to maximise on the global opportunity to share best practice, the Charity’s Board of Trustees made the strategic decision, in 2006, to establish EDW, with Michael Manning-Prior as Chief Executive, to concentrate on national and international development work. WYEC, under its Chief Executive, Keren Miller, continues to focus on maintaining and further developing the Charity’s outstanding service provision in the London Borough of Wandsworth and the surrounding Boroughs.

Visit WYEC’s website