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St Machar Academy pupils brew up business plans for school coffee shop

Third year pupils have been working with business consultants Deloitte to masterplan the future of the business.

Tax Director and 5 Million Futures school lead at Deloitte in Aberdeen Andrew Henderson, with pupils Dennis Roman and Allie Matthew, and lead business and community support officer at St Machar Academy Isla Gibb. Image: Deloitte.
Tax Director and 5 Million Futures school lead at Deloitte in Aberdeen Andrew Henderson, with pupils Dennis Roman and Allie Matthew, and lead business and community support officer at St Machar Academy Isla Gibb. Image: Deloitte.

Pupils at Aberdeen’s St Machar Academy have developed business plans for the school’s coffee shop.

A total of 60 business management pupils across four classes aged between 13 and 16 worked to develop a plan for the future of the shop.

They worked over a period of three months with the Aberdeen team at international business consultants Deloitte.

Deloitte’s work through the school year involved hosting workshops and masterclasses for the students covering a variety of practical skills and career pathways.

The firm also donated 100 laptops to the school, which have been used by pupils during their study leave in preparation for exams, as well as a £7,000 cost of living donation.

St Machar Academy pupils have been planning the future of their school business. Image Jim Irvine/ DC Thomson.

How has the programme changed St Machar Academy?

Teachers were also invited to attend the LGBTQ+ VR Museum when it was hosted at Deloitte’s Glasgow office in March.

Now educators at the school are exploring ways to integrate innovative uses of technology into the school’s inclusion and digital literacy polices.

Isla Gibb, lead business and community support officer at St Machar Academy, said:  “The practical way the team from Deloitte works with the students has really helped them understand the ‘why’ of what they’re learning and how it applies to the world of work.

“There’s been a big impact for our teachers too – they’re discovering new ways to adapt how they teach.”

Andrew Henderson and Isla Gibb at St Machar Academy. Image: Deloitte.

Andrew Henderson, tax director and 5 Million Futures school partnership lead at Deloitte in Aberdeen, said: “The 5 Million Futures programme is all about breaking down barriers to skills, education and employability.”

Launched by Deloitte in 2016, the 5 Million Futures programme helped over 345,000 in the last financial year, with the firm’s professionals volunteering more than 30,000 hours of their time.

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