A new National Enterprise Academy will open its doors early next year to unlock the entrepreneurial talents of Britain's teenagers – part of a joint initiative announced today by the government and entrepreneur Peter Jones (pictured).

A National Enterprise Academy is a long held dream of Peter Jones, who has been developing the concept for over a year and will become part of the highly successful National Skills Academies programme.

The academy will offer a new qualification in enterprise to students over the age of 16, giving them the right skills both for the workplace or to start their own businesses. It will also have a broader remit of raising enterprise awareness across the entire population and age range, including encouraging more women entrepreneurs. The first Academy will open in the South-East of England, followed by another centre in the North-West. A national roll out of satellite academies will then follow.

At the same time, extra funding of £30m will boost enterprise education supporting its extension to primary schools and further education colleges.

The announcements come ahead of the government's new Enterprise Strategy, which will be unveiled today by the Chancellor and the business secretary John Hutton as part of the Budget.

Hutton said: "I want the UK to be the most enterprising economy in the world - and to achieve that we must unlock this country's talent. With Peter Jones' backing and experience, this National Enterprise Academy will bring the right qualifications and skills to the UK's next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs."

Peter Jones added: "There is a stark difference in the entrepreneurial mindset between the UK and the US. Here, there tends to be a 'can I?' approach, whereas in the US the 'I can' belief is instilled from an early age. If the UK economy is to continue to grow, we need to create the right learning environment for all our children, where their talents can be developed so they can go out into the workplace or business and prosper."

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