The Young Enterprise Trade Fair in the Forum, Norwich. Sewell Park College students, front left Megan Collingsworth and, right, Rebecca Billham with back, from left, Morwenna Goodson, Shannon Harper and Jessie Dack with some of the items on the dECOr stall.Photo: Steve Adams

The tycoons of tomorrow took their products to market in a Young Enterprise Trade fair on Saturday.

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The fair, held at The Forum, saw 18 companies founded by students aged 15 to 19 sell products or services they had designed and created themselves.

Students set up and sold shares in their businesses in September, choosing products with the help of consultants and sold them to the public on Saturday.

The scheme teaches young people the transferable practical skills that are not picked up in the classroom, said Patricia Hagan, Young Enterprise manager for Norfolk and Suffolk.

“Qualifications are great, but young people need other skills they can’t necessarily pick up in a standard school day. With Young Enterprise they learn things they can use elsewhere, like presentation and team working.

“With difficulties in getting jobs, some students want to take it into their own hands and start their own business.

“The future for Norfolk and Suffolk is small business students.”

Among the day’s success stories was dECOR, established by students from Sewell Park College, selling eco-friendly products for the home including vases and candle-holders.

Manager Megan Collingsworth, 14, said: “We tried to do something that we knew people wanted, and that hadn’t been done before.”