Brown's bid for young entrepreneurs

GORDON BROWN sets out today on an ambitious drive to create a generation of entrepreneurs among Britain's schoolchildren. The Chancellor is spearheading a bid to build greater links between schools and businesses to give pupils proper first-hand experience of the private sector.

In doing so, he is pointing the way forward to his Budget in April which is expected to reward risk-taking and to help foster a new entrepreneurial spirit.

Today's launch, which sees Brown flanked by Education Secretary Estelle Morris, Trade Secretary Patricia Hewitt and leading business figures, comes at a sensitive time for Labour and its links with business.

The Government is reeling from a fresh scandal involving its help for Indian steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, a £125,000 Labour donor. Brown, meanwhile, has faced claims that he pays only lip service to helping businesses and has presided over a huge increase in red tape.

However, he is determined to press ahead with his scheme, and claims the twin aims of his second term will be to foster enterprise and close the productivity gap between Britain and her major international competitors.

The launch follows a report by Sir Howard Davies, one of Labour's favourite business figures, which reveals that fewer than 30% of all Britain's young people have had any direct experience of the enterprise culture. He will propose that each school pupil spends five days putting this right - including 'running' mini-companies and learning details about marketing, design and salesmanship.