Let's Build Bridges

Let's Build Bridges
There are many bridges we can build

Saturday 30 August 2014

Not in Education or Training: Why Non-Graduates Deserve More Help


Not forgetting that one of this Forum's purposes, is to discuss the jobs and career opportunities for non-graduates, here's another reason why young people aged 16-24, who are not in full time education, need more help:



http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/the-neet-generation-why-young-britons-have-been-hardest-hit-by-the-economic-downturn-9155640.html

Thursday 14 August 2014

The graduate cross disciplinary network

My development within university and my eventual success in achieving a degree can be attributed in part to my growth into a forward thinking educated individual. A large proportion of my development was down to lecturing and a desire to learn, however a I feel you that the formation of an interconnected, cross disciplinary social and study network created the framework for me to look for solutions and advice that I couldn't achieve as an individual.

The same is essential as you enter the alumni forum. What you know, what they know, what employers want. From personal experience knowing a cross disciplinary group of individuals has presented past job opportunities, CV development from graduate recruitment agents, free marathon training personal training from a highly successful fitness coach. a peer review from a PhD chemical engineer and free legal clarification from a fully qualified lawyer.

The graduate network can collectively keep creating excellent intellectuals well beyond university. Surely two educated heads are better than one in all aspects of a post university career?

Monday 11 August 2014

Entrepreneurs: Welcome, and Let's Get Started

Hello Entrepreneurs and Business Start-Ups people,

If you are visiting these pages as a result of my recent messages, then welcome. As you can see, this forum is dedicated to discussions for business start-ups, student-Alumni networking, and opportunities for non-graduates, in equal measure. I hope you find it helpful.

If you are interested in the Forum's other discussions, then this article will tell you all you need to know:

https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140726162616-66254816-building-bridges-a-project-begins

This forum is here to help students, non-graduates and business start ups, but we need to find a way to help everyone; including your fellow entrepreneurs; young people and adults alike. Many of you are engaged in great projects to start new businesses and enterprise of your own: so here is a challenge for you.

The idea I have hit on, is that we could create a database or app, to include all three. Participating universities and colleges could upload all products and services as yet untested. Non-graduates who have received a qualification by assessment, apprenticeship etc, could be registered on the same database, by agreement with the awarding bodies. Finally, all adults who want to start a new business or play a part in one, can register too: in much the same way as for Staff Bay or Priority Jobs.

This would form a complete Toolkit for entrepreneurs to start new businesses. Anyone wanting to start a business would have direct access to new products and services to put into production; recently qualified non-graduates; and fellow adults with skills to offer. To my knowledge, there is not one app yet devised, to perform all of these functions.

A diagram of this concept is on the Forum's Facebook page. This is how it could work:

https://www.facebook.com/download/565626130231673/Toolkit%20for%20Entrepreneurs.docx

As you can see, the information comes together to give an entrepreneur most of the recourses he or she will need. With the impending redundancies in my region and others, it is important to keep creating jobs, and if we can get people who are out of work, together with the right entrepreneurs, they can start new businesses, and give people jobs.

It will not be easy to make, of course. Creating this kind of database would mean careful negotiating and coordination with all sides. And a further challenge to consider for any new business, is funding.  I think that the application should also have a built in function, to allow access to key investors, in the relevant field of business. For example, social enterprises could be given access, via this application, to key community investment funds, and so on.

Networks like LinkedIn, Priority Jobs or Staff Bay could perhaps be modified to make this Toolkit. I have approached the major internet service providers, but at the time of writing, neither Microsoft nor AOL seem to have this kind of application. I am waiting to hear back from Google and will of course, speak with Apple's staff soon, to find out what they have.

To all major internet service providers reading this article: the concept is like an offer for tender: but the promisor is not me. Your clients will be the hundreds of fellow entrepreneurs who will buy the app you develop. Whichever company does this first is guaranteed a place.in the start up market. But ultimately, it doesn't matter who is able to build this app; as long as it allows an entrepreneur to select both the people to work with and the products/services to use: crucial for the start-up of any new business.

I believe that this Toolkit would offer a win-win solution for all parties using it. Non-graduates would get entry level jobs into their industry of choice; students and Alumni would get to use their innovations; adults would get to lend their expertise and be valued. Everyone would benefit in some way from it.

So here is a new challenge for you, the entrepreneurs: a way to make a big difference for yourselves and for fellow business people. You are invited to join the LinkedIn page, to discuss how we can go about creating this application:

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Lets-Build-Bridges-5133737?trk=myg_ugrp_ovr

The other project pages are:


Google+ (‘Gorilla Opportunity’ Start-Ups Database)


 



Best Regards

James M

Founder

Let's Build Bridges

Sunday 10 August 2014

Fighting Ageism With Opportunity

A valid point has been raised by one member of Let's Build Bridges' groups about ageism: although there are many young people who need opportunities, there is also one group of adults who may be being overlooked. What about opportunities for the adults who are aged 55 and over? This is an important issue. While in my 30's myself, I do agree that with the global forces bearing down on our economies, the over 55's may become marginalised if opportunities are not created for them, as vigorously as for other age groups.

To tackle this issue, I believe that business start ups would be a good way to empower them. This was part of the reasoning behind the start-ups side of our Forum. If people of all ages were invited to form companies, the over 55's years of experience would make them assets to a new business: even taking a leading role. After all, 'Colonel Sanders' Harland founded Kentucky Fried Chicken in his 60's, so there is a precedent for start ups as the answer. Likewise, in many of the societies I know, the over 55's are the organisers: so there is a clear need for their skills.

Also, they could make excellent mentors in the student-Alumni networks. The over 55's experience, and their networks of connections could offer good advice to the students, and allow the mentors themselves to feel valued.  Many of the professors who taught at my university were retired professionals who had come back to impart my knowledge: as had some of the mentors in our student-Alumni network, I notice. This is a trend that we can help be continued.

In these two ways, I believe we can help to create a level playing field, to keep the opportunities going for all adults aged 55 and over: as well as for people of all ages.

I welcome your thoughts on this.