entrepreneurs of the future were given a glimpse of the world of commerce when they visited the Walkers Crisps factory on a fact-finding tour.

The Future Business Magnates competition, devised by the Durham District Partnership, involves ten Durham City schools competing over nine months in all aspects of running a business, from where to locate to how to advertise.

In the project, which is backed by The Northern Echo and sponsored by Yorkshire Bank and Lafarge, year eight pupils were teamed with mentors from the business community to meet a series of monthly challenges.

The students from Durham Community Business College visited Walkers, in Peterlee, to learn as much as they could about one of the most recognisable brands in the country.

Leah Curtis, 12, said: "We talked to the administration and management people who are responsible for different parts of the operation like human resources, training, distribution and purchasing, and then we went on a tour of the factory to look at the production.

"We also talked to the marketing team on how they use Gary Lineker in their promotion of crisps.

"Walkers made us feel very welcome and gave us a room to work in while we were in the factory."

Christine Yule, from Durham Business Club, which is mentoring the college through the business magnates challenge, said she saw the competition as a way of showing the students how the business world worked.

She said: "They really are great kids and we are really enjoying working with them on these challenges.

"So much of the business jargon we, in the business world, take for granted is all new to them, but they are just soaking it all up. They are a credit to themselves and to their school and, wherever we end up in the competition, we are having a good time doing it."

Mentors in the competition include experts from companies and organisations such as Northumbrian Water, B&Q and Durham University.

* For business magnate stories and the up-to-date competition league tables, visit www.businessecho.co.uk