A local firm of chartered accountants and business advisors is helping to develop the entrepreneurs of the future with its support of the UK's leading business and enterprise education charity.

Smith Cooper, which is based on Haydn Road in Nottingham, has supported the Young Enterprise Company Programme scheme for the past two years by funding the venue for the training event, which takes place at the start of each programme. 

Now it has extended its involvement in the scheme with its support of this year's Business Plan Investment Pitch competition. 

Students were asked to write a business plan based on criteria given to them by the enterprise scheme and presented their plans to a panel of judges from Smith Cooper comprising of managing partner, Chris Taylor, partner, Kelly Boorman and senior manager James Bagley.

The winners were announced at the second training event of the year.

Young Enterprise aims to help young people understand the world of business and prepare them for their working lives through the principle of learning by doing. A series of training events, which take place throughout the year, provide students with on-going support and information to help them with their business venture. 

This year's winning team was 'Pinnacle', a group of students from Derby Grammar School, who were presented with a trophy, along with a £100 investment in their proposed product by the South East Derbyshire Area Board. 

Commenting on the firm's continued involvement in the scheme, Tim Taylor, personal tax consultant at Smith Cooper and a board member in the South East Derbyshire Area, said:

"Smith Cooper is delighted to be involved with such a fantastic scheme and I would like to congratulate Pinnacle on winning the competition with their outstanding business plan.

"The Young Enterprise Company Programme allows young people to build confidence, develop teamwork skills and get a taste of the business world before leaving school; this is my seventh year working with the scheme and I look forward to working with many more talented young people in the future," added Tim.

Smith Cooper offers general compliance services, dedicated corporate finance, specialist tax and corporate recovery and insolvency teams, as well as separate financial solutions, IT and HR divisions.

These services are available from the firm's network of nine offices across the East and West Midlands.