PUPILS swapped the classroom for the boardroom to prove they had what it took to be The Apprentice.

Teams from six schools across Bolton, Wigan and Salford took part in the Young Enterprise regional finals held at Bolton College.

The Young Enterprise initiative encourages schoolchildren and students, aged 14 to 19, to set up their own company in school.

The small businesses have been busy developing products or services to sell, raising capital, marketing their company and keeping their own accounts.

St George’s RC High School in Walkden, Bolton Muslim Girls School and Thornleigh Salesian College were three of the schools in the running to be hired — or fired.

Thornleigh College’s group of 22 young entrepreneurs, TLE (Thornleigh Leading Enterprise), created and marketed a mobile phone accessory called the “Joey Pouch” — a device to hold mobile phones whilst they are charging, like a female kangaroo’s pouch to hold her youngster.

Headteacher Alison Burrowes said: “We’ve been so impressed by the level of maturity displayed by the young students — from their initial brainstorming sessions and capital-raising activities, to the creation of the final product.

“They are great representatives of our school.”

Marie Gilluley, principal of Bolton College, added: “It was fantastic to welcome so many eager pupils from across the local area to the college.

“The initiative is a fantastic way to showcase the incredible entrepreneurial talents of young people in this part of Greater Manchester.

“Congratulations to all the teams, who have all worked extremely hard over the past few months.”

St George’s RC School, with their product accessories for all things technological, and Bolton Muslim Girls School, with their maths puzzle, are through to the grand final.

A Thornleigh College pupil, Jasmin Bannister, aged 15, said: “It’s been such a fun project to work on and we’ve all learned so much.

“The competition was really tough in our category for Bolton — we wish the winning teams the best of luck at the Greater Manchester finals next month.”