Chamber helps summer school drive

Published on Monday 2 June 2008 10:43

EDINBURGH Chamber of Commerce is helping a young Scottish entrepreneur to set up an international summer school for teenagers.

Graduate Jen Munro, 27, already offers international high school students aged 13 to 18 a chance to broaden their knowledge at St Andrews University, and is now considering opening another summer school overseas at the request of a foreign government.

Enrolments at the St Andrews Summer School have increased from 50 in the first year to 200 in the second, and are over 300 for this coming summer.

The project, based in Hanover Street, is largely funded by grants from the Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust (PSYBT).

Ms Munro, who graduated from St Andrews, said: "PSYBT introduced us to the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce which set up meetings with delegates from abroad to discuss setting up another school.

"But to open overseas we really have to satisfy ourselves that the core philosophy, programme contents and location will be as good as that found in Scotland. It's not enough that we have an international summer school – it has to be world class."

Mark Strudwick, chief executive of PSYBT, said of Ms Munro's initiative: "She was clear from the start about what she wanted to do and how she could achieve it – and through her marketing, organisational and business skills, has delivered an initiative that is attracting young people from all over the world."