Food ingredients manufacturer, Macphie of Glenbervie, hosted a special event for ninety 15/16-year-old students from Mearns Academy, which was designed to develop enterprise, entrepreneurship and business skills for the future.

The students were be grouped into "companies", given a box of junk and told to come up with the best way to earn megabucks from it. They then presented their ideas to a Dragons' Den panel of judges.

Macphie human resources director, Sylvia Halkerston, is a passionate believer in the significance of enterprise to young people and its contribution to a successful country to live and work in.

She said: "At Macphie, our philosophy is very much about developing an innovation culture, which is underpinned by entrepreneurial flair. You don't have to set up your own company to become an entrepreneur, you just have to work for a company as if you owned it.

"We are delighted to collaborate with Mearns Academy and provide business support to give young people the opportunity to learn and develop new skills through real-life business scenarios."

Mearns Academy Depute Rector, Graeme Cowie, added: "Mearns Academy is fortunate to have many positive working relationships with businesses in the local community. This initiative offers a real quality experience for our students and encourages them to be ambitious and realise their potential. It will have a great impact on improving the business and enterprise skills of the next generation."