Northgate Managed Services gets involved in an Inspirational Big Conversation
26 May 2010
Tuesday 25 May 2010 sees the national Work Inspiration campaign launched in Northern Ireland. It is delivered by Business in the Community in conjunction with the CBI and supported by Northern Bank and UTV Media plc.
Since Spring 2008, Business in the Community has been surveying senior business leaders for ideas on how to tackle the skills deficit in the UK and one of the key issues identified was the gap between the idea a young person has of the world of work and what business expects from new recruits.
In Northern Ireland, 22,000 young people are eligible for work experience each year. To be effective, it must be meaningful, relevant and above all inspiring.
Andy Ross, Chief Executive at Northgate Managed Services attended a Big Conversation, an event hosted by UTV. He joined over 50 Chief Executives and business leaders, meeting with 15 and 16 year old students to raise awareness among the corporate sector of how businesses can be used as a catalyst for positive change in the way work experience is provided for young people.
Liz Lemon, Programme Manager for Work Inspiration explains: "Businesses of all sizes and types, public and private, need to commit to making changes and to reviewing and improving the work experience they offer. We need to show young people that there are many routes to success."
"Work Inspiration will bring three-fold benefits: we have tools to help employers provide inspirational placements, guidance for schools to help prepare students before embarking on their placement and the results should be inspirational, informative and fun placements for students."
