Young Chamber - Developing minds for developing business


Report on Isle of Wight Young Chamber Conference 2006


Key Speaker:

Syed Ahmed, from the recent TV programme ‘The Apprentice’, was invited to speak on behalf of Young Chamber. He wowed the student audience with his positive and dynamic energy and mindset which stated ‘Ambition is All. Don’t let anyone stop you from doing what you really want to.’ 

Young enough to appeal to his audience, Syed brought with him a commitment to business ‘which is sexy’ and an energy and drive which was highly stimulating. ‘Whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability,’ he said – whether it is working in McDonald’s or for a blue-chip company. His current company, Magenta Partnerships, has a turn-over of £1.2 million bearing out his philosophy of success.

Purpose:

The purpose of the third Young Chamber Conference was to have the students participating in work-related learning and employer-led workshops that demonstrated the vital connectivity between education and business. The young people were at the heart of the Conference: demonstrating and taking part in masterclasses and skills’ workshops for employability; event managing and hosting throughout. The large screen was never short of displays of students’ entrepreneurial talent and activity: Global Rock, Inspire Round the Island Race; and the Chelsea DVD were some of the work showcased for guests.

Of course, this was not merely a local conference. Young Chamber is now developing on a national scale and some of the latest regional developments were discussed by members of the YC Steering Group who outlined their progress based on the ‘R & D’ model provided by the Isle of Wight Young Chamber Ltd. The Young Chamber website is now up and running and these national and local sites were introduced by Kevin Smith, Chief Executive of the IWCCTI. This website and the toolkit will be instrumental in helping other regions to set up their own YC activities and infrastructure – in a way which is individual and pertinent to their needs.

A whole series of workshops were hosted by employers and students comprising a range of specific and generic employability skills and work-related learning. Whether masterclasses or workshops; business challenges or simulations, these were designed to be led by business, enjoyed by students – participating in an active and realistic learning experiences and for the participation of spectators. Guests were invited to ask questions, to engage with the young people and to share their expertise and knowledge. Links forged by this Conference will further future planning of Young Chamber activity which promotes the vital connectivity between employers and young people – led by young people.

Programme of Events:

- AchievA-led workshops promoting generic employability skills such as team-building, communication, numeracy, logic, problem-solving, creativity, leadership etc …
- A Fiscal Fitness masterclass in finance and personal budgeting prior to further education study
- A specialised Business Challenge involving two competing Island high schools – The ‘Dragons’ Lair’ based on a marketing challenge
- A lantern-making workshop demonstrating work that was previously completed for the Ryde Development Trust and local business community
- Showcase of a DVD filmed by Medina High students of a recent Chelsea football event, supported by the local community
- An Interviewing workshop with Year 13 Drama students hosted by local business portraying how not to be interviewed!
- A dynamic and spectacular fashion show by Carisbrooke High students supported by Posh Frocks – organised entirely by the students themselves
- A business skills masterclass involving business, administration and finance
- Robotics incorporating team-work, communication and creative technological application
- Modern Foreign Languages and their application in business
- A Technology project by Year 10 pupils, demonstrating Resistant Materials
- Two Young Enterprise groups – ‘Innovision’ and ‘Je T’Aime’ demonstrating and modelling their products and marketing strategies
- An Inspire ‘Round the Island Race’ display by Cowes students
- Carnival puppets and props from recent community activity
- The Global Rock Challenge by Cowes High students
- Part of the Composites boat-building project, supported by Cheetah Marine, and Glassmakers’ Guild demonstrated by Lake Middle students
- Photography was covered by Year 12 students from Ryde High
- Young Chamber reporting was covered by Jack Whitewood, Joe Plumb, Jamie Dunn and Kristian Ward - Master of Ceremonies: Joanne Jayerajah, Sandown High School – previous winner of the Young Chamber Apprentice Challenge 2005

Conclusion:

Of the 400 invitations that were issued to the educational and business communities, LEA and all associates, 201 of those invited accepted (of these 101 comprised students.) On the actual day, 82 delegates attended and 100 students were involved from all the Island high schools and colleges. Comments received were all extremely positive and one business has donated £5000 to support new businesses starting-up on the strength of the conference. The venue was a great hit this year and will be booked for the next conference in 2007. Syed Ahmed is most interested in judging the Young Chamber Young Apprentice Challenge in 2007.

The transferability value of this conference is that students want more of the same! The applications and business activities can be transferred to other contexts i.e. the classroom and elsewhere.

Comment bank:

‘Just to say how well we thought the Conference went and so good for our students to have all the opportunities they did. It was a really nice day and they all enjoyed it and will hopefully have got a lot out of it.’ Medina High

‘Excellent day – thank you.’ The Plaza

‘Absolutely brilliant. Very inspiring – a great showcase for young people and the work of both Young Chamber and the Conference.’ YMCA Faithhome Group

‘Very enjoyable day. Interesting speakers. Many thanks.’ Beresfords Barber Shop

‘Very interesting conference which gave good opportunities for the students.’ Young Enterprise

‘Very good – interesting day.’ Young Enterprise

‘Great event – well done!’ Harris Associates

‘I thought the event was well-managed and the venue was superb. You were fortunate to secure Syed Ahmed who spoke well and passionately.’ Latton House/Ecoflow

‘Anything that would help the Composites Industry.’ Composites Training Consortium Ltd

‘Very well organised … students were stunning!’ LEA

‘Excellent event. Well organised.’ Creedance Training

‘Very interesting.’ Eldridges Solicitors

‘Link the Chamber with the Council and improve communications and outcomes.’ IOW Council

‘The workshops tables would benefit from someone explaining what is going on or a sign showing details of the task. Apart from that – very useful day.’ Milmega Ltd

‘A really worthwhile day. Excellent.’ Gurit

‘Energetic, eventful day. Well done.’ Vicoma International

‘Very well organised.’ Lloyds TSB plc

‘Thank you for organising such an energetic and innovative day – it was a pleasure to see so many young people enjoying business. Lets hope that the concept continues to grow nationally. Please pass on my thanks to all your organising team and I hope that Vikoma will be able to help in some way in the future.’

‘Very good conference yesterday. The showcase was the best part since it breaks down barriers.’ SEEDA

‘Congratulations to all concerned! A very enjoyable and extremely well run professional event!’ Chartered Management Institute

‘Just wanted to show my appreciation for the well organised event today. I have had a lot of very positive feedback, so well done. Syed was brilliant and went down well with our learners … he was a star …’ LEA

‘We too feel that the Conference was a great success, and we are delighted both with the contribution our students made and with the benefit they gained from it – the students are also very positive about their experiences.’ Cowes High School

“It was brilliant!”

“Very informative.”

“Really rewarding.”

“It was interesting meeting Syed.”

“It’s good to learn about businesses and it’s great to link it in with our education.”

“I learnt how to market something really well.”

“I learnt a lot about marketing, advertising and promotions.”

“Thank you for such a brilliant day.”

Students from Island high schools