A TEAM of young entrepreneurs who completed a challenge remiscent of BBC TV's The Apprentice enjoyed a winners treat through the support of a North-East restaurant.

Joe Rigatoni's in Darlington laid on a special lunch for the Academagic team from the town's Education Village after hearing about their efforts in the challenge.

Around 30 year 10 pupils at the Education Village were divided into two teams to compete against each other in the challenge.

Each was given a stall at the recent Love your Local Market event in Darlington from which they sold tie-dye T-shirts and mugs they had produced.

Through Foundation for Jobs, a joint initiative between The Northern Echo, Darlington Borough Council and The Darlington Partnership, each team was given a budget with which to buy the materials they need and had to draw up a business plan to ensure they turned a profit.

Dave Graham, manager of Joe Rigatoni's in Darlington, said: "As the young people did so well we were delighted to provide them with a treat to celebrate their success.

"The task was obviously designed to encourage young people in Darlington to look at seizing opportunities and think about their future employment so as a leading business in the town and a well known name in the local community we felt it was important we stepped in to help out.

"It was nice to meet the team and see them enjoying themselves with us following their efforts."

Although Academagic came out on top in the challenge both they and their rival competitors Haughton Designers each turned a profit from the event to be reinvested in their school's business club, which encourages the students to think about entrepreneurialism and business skills.

Foundation for Jobs co-ordinator Owen McAteer said: "We are extremely grateful to Dave and his team at Joe Rigatoni's for laying on a complementary lunch for the students following their efforts, it was a really generous gesture, and the young people had a great time.

"One of the aims of Foundation for Jobs is to encourage young people to value the abilities they have and to see themselves as a valuable asset to potential future employers, so that they have the confidence to pursue the jobs they want.

"This wasn't a game. These students worked together as any group of employees in any company would to come up with a product idea, manufacture it and sell it to paying members of the public alongside almost 70 other real life traders and they turned a profit. We couldn't be more impressed with them."