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FUNDING BOOST FOR ENTERPRISING HIGHLAND PUPILS
The Highland Council is one of 10 councils in Scotland which has been successful in bidding for Scottish Executive funding which supports enterprising pupils who are determined to succeed.

Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Jim Wallace has announced that the Council will receive �1.75 million over three years through the Executive�s �40 million Enterprise in Education strategy.

Councillor Drew Millar, Vice-Chairman of The Highland Council�s Education Culture and Sport Committee, said: �We welcome this funding and look forward to working with schools, the enterprise companies and the business community to deliver a more �can do� approach for pupils across all our schools. We are determined to succeed.  Highland schools are already doing much good work on enterprise both in primary and secondary schools and have won national, UK and international awards for their work.�

Donnie MacDonald, Head of Education Services with the Education Culture and Sport Service,  confirmed this was a significant development which would support work already underway and fund new developments to deliver on the National Priorities in Education and enable more flexible approaches to the curriculum to be introduced.

Mr Wallace said: �I want to foster and develop a �can do, will do� attitude in our young people � in the Highlands and across the country.  There is an urgent need to change attitudes towards enterprise in Scotland.  We need a fundamental shift in thinking - encouraging young people to have a go, to take sensible risks, and not to be discouraged by initial failure but see it as a platform for future success.

�Our enterprise in education strategy - Determined to Succeed - recognises that the best way to start making these changes is in the classroom.  This is not about teaching stand-alone classes in �enterprise skills� or expecting everyone to become an entrepreneur, but embedding enterprise education within the school curriculum and school life so that pupils can gain self-confidence and the ability to think creatively.

 �The funding I�m announcing today will enable other Highland schools to build on this good practice.�