Pictured above: (l-r) Peter Jones (Chair of Enterprising Britain Judges), Joan Smalley (Ashfield Skills Centre), Alison Harrold (TMD), Phillip Bramhall (East Midlands Development Agency), Lord Davies (Minister for Trade, Investment and Small Business)

The Ashfield Skills Centre and Ashfield School in the East Midlands has been highly commended for its achievement at the final of this year's Enterprising Britain competition. 

TV Dragon and Chair of Enterprise UK, Peter Jones, paid tribute to the school for its focus on specific skills gaps and the regeneration of the local area. The Centre opened in 2007 and already 173 individuals have been helped in starting their own businesses, creating 49 new enterprises.

Run by Enterprise UK on behalf of the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, Enterprising Britain is a nationwide competition to find the most enterprising place in the UK - a location where enterprise is creating jobs and transforming communities - both of which are vital as the economy recovers.

Ashfield School was built in 1964 and is now the third largest state-funded secondary school in the UK with over 2,600 students aged 11 to 19.  The district of Ashfield is a former coalmining area with higher than average unemployment and wards ranked amongst the most deprived in the country.  Facing economic challenges resulting from the decline in traditional trades and a lack of growth in new industries, staff at the district's Ashfield School designed and delivered a project that has transformed the aspirations of the area's young people and fostered a culture of enterprise throughout the whole community. 

In 2003 the Ashfield Skills Centre project was launched to respond to the needs of the local area; bringing together young people, employers, enterprise agencies and the wider community.  

This £7million project at Ashfield School is links learning with the real world through partnerships with local industries. This innovative feature approach has brought a range of tangible benefits, for example, the RAC fitted out a training workshop and Hyundi and Kia donated cars for students to work on.  

Joan Smalley of the Ashfield Skills Centre at Ashfield School, said: "It's been a huge honour for Ashfield School to represent the East Midlands at national level. There were incredibly strong bids from elsewhere in the UK so the competition was tough, but it's been a great opportunity to showcase our key achievements since opening just two years ago. 

"The Centre offers a range of engaging and relevant courses, giving the students and community of Ashfield the opportunity to learn new skills and improve their employability. Providing a bridge between education and enterprise it has developed a sustainable vision which has the potential to be rolled out in other areas of the UK and beyond."

Lord Davies, Minister for Trade, Investment and Small Business, said: "Ashfield Skills Centre shows the impact of a community working together to drive enterprise and skills. Its innovative and inclusive approach to providing learning opportunities for both young people and the wider community is the catalyst for a strong enterprise culture."

Scott Cain, deputy chief executive of Enterprise UK said: "There's no doubt the Ashfield Skills Centre has provided a unique and innovative approach to vocational training for both the school and its surrounding neighbourhoods. Ashfield is a shining example of how education can motivate people to be successful. By providing a bridge between education and enterprise it has developed a sustainable vision which has the potential to be rolled out in other areas of the UK and beyond."

Twelve finalists, one from each of the Regional Development Agencies and Devolved Administrations, were shortlisted for the competition final in June and were visited by Enterprising Britain judges over the summer. 

NWES in Lowestoft was the national winner of Enterprising Britain 2009 for transforming itself from a town in decline hit by industry downturns into a breeding ground for business growth and job creation while the Hull Enterprise Partnership in Yorkshire and Humberside was named runner-up for the support it has provided for local employers in the private and social enterprise sector and people considering self employment.