Points for Skype Meeting

What we have on this Forum is a unique combination of volunteers who are both careers and business professionals. This means that we can do a lot for both young people and adults’ opportunities, if we work together to share our ideas. So, ahead of our arrangements for the proposed Skype meeting, here is a summary of what I would like to discuss:

Mentoring-Internships

Firstly to the careers officers who have kindly joined this network. As per my messages so far, I am impressed by what you have told me about your schemes to help the students and non-graduates connect with businesses. These are all very good schemes, and will definitely help to create man good opportunities for the students. But here is my suggestion to you, based on a very good idea from a fellow Alumnus.

Why not combine your existing student mentoring and internship schemes, to make a formal two-way process, in which the mentor coaches the student: and in return, the student works, to help the mentor solve a long term problem/issue in his or her business? This would ensure knowledge transfer both ways, and would be a perfect incentive for both the student and the mentor.

I have been asked: what would be in it from the Alumni/mentor’s point of view? Likewise, I am told that some students are reluctant to engage with mentors, for various reasons. To deal with both challenges, a combined mentoring-internship scheme could motivate the student, by making this assignment a formal part of the course for his/her final year of study. The scheme would also motivate the mentor to give up time away from work, in exchange for one long term problem resolved, and hence one less headache to worry about. As someone in full time work, I’m sure you’d agree with me, that one less headache to worry about makes life a lot easier!

This kind of scheme would give students direct access to contacts in their chosen industry, and allow them to learn the working culture of that organisation. In much the same way as a placement or an apprenticeship, it would give them real experience, working with the mentors, so that even if they were unsuccessful in securing a job, they would have the contacts to help them find one. The mentors/Alumni in turn, would be able to use the students’ knowledge and insight, to improve their businesses and help their professions. This would ensure growth, and lead to job creation in the localities.

As ambitious as this idea may seem, I believe that you, the careers officers, have the connections to arrange this between your students, and the mentors of local businesses, and would like to trial this at one of your universities. If it is made a clear two-way process, then both sides will be more motivated to use it. I therefore put this for your consideration, as a way that could make a real difference to student-Alumni relations.

Non-Graduate Assessment

As I have said before, I believe that the most effective way to help non-graduates, is by assessing and qualifying them, according to their skills and abilities. On the job assessment has certainly helped me gain both a Customer Service, and a Music qualification. It can be a very effective way to help non-graduates, who are already working to a high level of service.

I have not yet heard back from the assessors I was hoping to engage, but this remains an important area of opportunity creation that must not be forgotten. I will continue to push for full assessment of all non-graduates, and hope that you may have some useful ideas about this.

An App for Entrepreneurs

To help business start-ups, an arrangement could be made between the careers officers’ universities, and the businesspeople present, to create a new kind of Toolkit for entrepreneurs.
Student-Alumni networks could upload their innovations to this new app/database. Newly qualified non-graduates, who obtain a certificate qualification could be automatically registered on it, by agreement with the governing bodies of their awards. Adults aged 25+ could register to seek one another out for employment, in much the same way as for recruitment networks, like Priority Jobs.

This would mean that anyone who wanted to start a business would have access, not only to the people he or she needed, but also to new products and services to trial. I have not yet seen a database or app that can do this, but I vote that we try it. Your universities and businesses could be the first.
I am hoping that Priority Jobs may be modified to do this. If not, then perhaps Linkedin could be used, to build a new kind of network. It would be a way for student-Alumni networks; non-graduates; and business start-ups can all help one another.

The Future

Looking forward to the future, I would like to make this forum into a co-operative, self-sustaining operation, in which participants each have a hand in running the proceedings. Opportunity is a universal need, and so I would like to offer this forum as a platform to all who are interested in creating it.

Conclusion

These are the points that I put to you, the careers officers, recruitment professionals, and business people of the various organisations, whose insight has proved invaluable to this Forum so far. Many would ask; why make so much effort to create opportunities, and the answer is simple. Because we can. We in this group have the power to make a real difference to the lives of many young people and adults alike. Every business, university or college ever founded was done so, because someone chose to create an opportunity. And big trees from little acorns grow. I believe that by taking these measures above, we will do just that.
I look forward to discussing this with you.

Festival Networking: A New Resource

As a great many festivals are currently sweeping the UK and indeed the wider world, they offer a lot of networking for young people and for adults, and could be a useful resource for creating new opportunities.

As I had suggested in an article on performing arts networks, the students and Alumni could collaborate both on stage and behind the scenes, to create a lot of good networking opportunities for both:

http://jamesperformingarts.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/arts-networks-one-idea.html

The same goes for all professions. If the students/non-graduates and Alumni work together on the organising committees of each festival, and present their work together out front; then a lot of valuable connections can be made.  Granted there are currently showcases that are organised to do just that,  but I say we should take advantage of the connections the festivals offer, and use them as important social networks; for students, for non-graduates, and for adults.

To establish its networking power, each festival could have a social media network set up on Linkedin, for more formal, long term business. Universities and colleges could make formal arrangements with the organisers, to trial their innovations as part of the festivities, depending on the format in question.

And let's not forget, that an ongoing annual event is an unofficial training school for volunteers. I've known volunteer stagehands, who were trained in lighting and sound, who then built up enough experience to apply for stage lighting companies, and others. So again, formal arrangements could be set up, to assess and grade non-graduates, who have done a lot of volunteer work.

With so many festivals out there, we ought to consider their potential as opportunity providers, and use a lot of the existing arrangements, to create new opportunities for jobs, networking, and new careers.