OVER the past few years Education has been constantly challenged to provide our young people with the skills and knowledge to become successful workers capable of enriching the employment they enter and fulfilling the need to grow our economy.

This is within a climate where the job market is changing at a rapid rate – research tells us young people will have several careers in their lifetime – and where the qualifications which have been developed for vocational routes have been challenged to be more academic and rigorous in nature.

All in all, it is a tough demand for our young people.

In Bournemouth, schools are very lucky.

We have employers who are not only interested in the education of young people but they are also committed to developing new avenues of work and they are open and communicative about what they need from us in schools.

One such example is the Business and Enterprise Skills Matrix developed for Avonbourne by local employers in association with teachers and students.

This lists the importance of skills such as having a ‘can-do’ attitude and being prepared to be creative and innovative.

The truth is that employers want young people who are capable of enriching and extending their businesses and therefore the suite of skills needed goes far beyond academic qualifications.

It is regrettable that in recent years we have seen the end of organisations such as ‘Connexions’ and the removal of work experience as a compulsory element of young people’s education.

Moreover, it is an opportunity for employers to get an insight into how education is responding to their needs and a chance to give important feedback to students about whether they are developing the skill set to be successful in future employment.

Bournemouth employers are once again leading the field, for both Avonbourne and Harewood were able to offer placements to all students for this year owing to the generosity of employers.

The race to find employment will in future be a difficult one.

The call upon education therefore is to not only to respond to the needs of our employers, but also to develop within our young people, the capacity to create jobs and grow the economic infrastructure of our town.

From a Headteacher’s perspective, I know we have plenty of young people who are enterprising and entrepreneurial in our schools.

I know too that they are capable of meeting the challenge and I believe strongly that our existing employers will be the guides and mentors that these young people need.