HUNDREDS of students are to gain access to a business scheme after a schools and enterprise partnership.

The CEO of leading telecoms company New Call will be sharing his expertise with Burnley students as part of a £50,000 pledge to young enterprise in Lancashire.

The firm are set to help young people interested in business as part of a partnership with Blessed Trinity College.

Over the next three years they will work together to give more than 1,000 students access to a range of enterprise education programmes.

New Call Telecom CEO Nigel Eastwood, who was born and raised in Burnley, will deliver to students new courses including introduction to credit, debt, savings and budgeting.

Special classes delivered by New Call at the school will also aim to uncover students’ skills and talents and matching them to careers that they may not have previously considered.

Sessions will see mentoring relationships created between New Call Telecom employees and the student participants.

As well as helping Blessed Trinity students, the programme is set to be rolled out to help other young people in East Lancashire.

New Call Telecom’s contribution will also support the Young Enterprise East Lancashire Company Programme Competition, which sees students from across the county come together, putting their business ideas to the test and competing against each other for the local Company of the Year title.

Mr Eastwood said: “I am particularly passionate about the work of Young Enterprise, and the opportunity of giving young people insights into the world of business, that hopefully will ignite an entrepreneurial spark within them. The programme creates some unique experiences for those who participate.”

New Call Telecom is excited to be involved with helping to equip young people with the key skills to develop a more effective workforce in the UK.

Michael Mercieca, CEO of Young Enterprise said: “This new partnership with New Call Telecom Ltd comes at a key time for Young Enterprise.

“We have ambitious plans to partner with 50 per cent of secondary schools by 2015 and reaching schools in disadvantaged areas a key focus within this.

“New Call Telecom’s support over the next three years will enable us to embed enterprise education in Burnley and improve the career prospects of local young people.”