Aspire aims to bring together employers and education

Jun 12 2007 By The Journal

Employers inspiring tomorrow's workforce is the core message as Aspire continues a new wave of campaigning, asking employers to help raise the aspirations of young people in the North-East.

New chief executive Mary Coyle has been taking the business case to local employers since she took up the helm of the campaign in January, asking them what they are doing to ensure young people feel ready to join the world of work here in the North-East.

Moving on from the current campaign, which has 1,700 businesses supporting its cause, Aspire is now seeking to help those employers, and more, to improve their relationship with the schools system, find the relevant delivery partner and encourage them to identify future skills gaps and address them now.

Launched with the support of Prime Minister Tony Blair, Aspire is a culture change programme from the North East Chamber of Commerce and the CBI North East that is geared towards helping employers reach young people to change their career outlook of the region.

The campaign aims to outline the business case for action in 2007 by demonstrating to employers that the long-term vision of the regional economic strategy will only be achieved if the skills needed to fill our future jobs are communicated to the next generation workforce by their future employers.

Aspire will help employers understand that the recruitment of young people is an attractive option, including working with the public sector on procurement policies which promote employing young people.

To ensure employers who back the aims of Aspire know how to take their enthusiasm forward, the campaign has identified the need to help them navigate the support organisations that exist in the region, so businesses know who to turn to when they start to become involved with young people.

As part of its new web portal - www.northeastreallydelivers.co.uk - Aspire will establish an online database of learning and work brokers and programmes established in this region to act as a resource that employers can use easily to get started.

Aspire believes it is the responsibility of employers to work with schools to ensure that the region's 14-16 year olds understand the reality of the wide range of jobs available to them, at a time when they are forming their career decisions.

Through the web portal, Aspire will use its partners to develop sector-specific resource materials to enable teachers and employers to present information to young people about the many and varied career and training opportunities available locally.

For employers, a key strand of the campaign this year will be the promotion of a range of North-East companies which have already broken the mould in creating youth-friendly schemes or training techniques, which will be showcased in the web portal, in the regional media and through a range of sector-led events to inspire others to adopt their best practice and learn from their experiences.

In the longer term, the campaign is seeking to be a catalyst for greater employer involvement in the education system.

It aims to do this by working with strategic partners to help employers engage in the skills agenda to promote a vision of the region which celebrates and promotes employment opportunities for young people in strategic sectors of the economy.

Ms Coyle looks forward to the campaign trail and said: "Our vision by 2010 is to make every single employer in the region aware that the solution to the impending skills shortage lies in investing in our young people.

"In this region we are failing to produce enough young people to meet our current skills demands, including the hi-tech, knowledge-based businesses, health, process engineering and manufacturing sectors.

"They need to recognise the opportunities open to them, and the competition from migrating labour markets, so they can understand the skills they need to develop now at school in order to fulfil their career potential in the North-East."

Those passionate about the future of local business can visit www.northeastreallydelivers. co.uk and become involved in helping to make a difference to both the future of their business and the region.

Guaranteed a bright future in the North-East

One young person is not only proving to be an inspirational role model for young people for Aspire's campaign message, she is also an example of an employer doing its bit to raise other young people's aspirations to stay and work here in the North-East.

Like many young people, Victoria Brunton is focused on establishing a successful career in her chosen area of work. But where she differs from her peers is in that, at only 26, she is already an employer: in fact, a managing partner.

Victoria is the joint director of Hospitality Guaranteed Ltd, an organisation that takes the headache out of venue sourcing and Event Management for firms over the UK.

Established in 2006 as a limited company, it works with corporate companies offering a complimentary venue finding service to find the perfect venue for their conference, meeting or overnight stay.

Victoria said: "I think that our customer-focused values are what help us stay ahead of the game. The next step is to offer further opportunities in the North-East, for potential employees as well as clients."

She is keen to encourage young people to follow their career path in the region. A graduate of Northumbria University, with a BSc in business information systems, she trained in Ireland and Denver and worked in Canada for a year. She was keen to bring her skills back to her native North-East.

She entered the hospitality industry and met Amanda Jackson, 34, who is now a joint director of Hospitality Guaranteed Ltd which was a runner-up at Durham and Chester-le-Street's Best of Business Awards in April. Based in Castle Eden's converted brewery in Durham, the firm plans to recruit more staff.

Victoria said: "I can relate personally to the importance of investing in young people as I perhaps wouldn't be here without the opportunities I had with my first graduate role. I want to put something back into the North-East and help create an environment where people want to live, work - and stay."

For information on the company ,visit www.hospitalityguaranteed.co.uk or call (01429) 839-288.