ANDREW TURNER MP
Building on Island
success at Westminster
I was delighted to host a recent
reception at Westminster for Young
Chamber UK. The event was to
increase awareness of the organization
among businesses, as part of their
mission to help young people gain a
greater understanding of the world of
work and the opportunities that await
them after education.
Young Chamber was started on the
Isle of Wight in 2001 to connect
11-19 year olds with employers. It is
now a national movement. To date,
over 335,000 young people have
participated in a Young Chamber
enterprise. Students gain access
to their local business community
through the extensive Chamber of
Commerce network, while employers
benefit from getting to know young
people who will shortly come on
to the labour market. Apart from
the obvious opportunity to recruit
potential new employees, many
businessmen enjoy the chance to talk
about their work and highlight the
kind of people and the training they
need to succeed in their industries.
Some employers even use Young
Chamber events to train their own
staff.
Speakers at the event included
Terry Morgan CBE, who failed his
11-plus and left school at 16 to take
up an apprenticeship. He is now
Chairman of Crossrail, the new
rail tunnel linking east and west
London – the largest civil engineering
project in Europe, employing over
14,000 people. Terry’s experiences
have inspired him to help and
encourage school-leavers who want
to get into industry via training and
12
www.visitislandlife.com
The Isle of Wight Team
From left: Kevin Smith, Minister Mark Prisk MP, Andrew Turner MP, Michelle Russell, Steve Porter.
apprenticeships. Another contributor
presented recent research showing
that regular contact with employers
cuts to less than 5% the number of
young adults out of employment,
education or training - without that
involveme nt, it is over 26%. Both
speakers demonstrated that university
is not necessarily the only, or in fact
the right, route for all young people
into a successful career.
The event was attended by business
representatives and MPs including the
Minister for Business and Enterprise,
Mark Prisk. Speaking to me later,
he paid tribute to the Isle of Wight
Chamber of Commerce for the
continued growth and success of
Young Chamber. I was also delighted
to see Labour’s Shadow Minister for
Employment, Stephen Timms – we all
know the future of the next generation
transcends party lines.
The event was held in the impressive
Attlee Suite, named after Labour’s
post-war Prime Minister. One of
Clement Attlee’s most significant
achievements was to introduce the
right to secondary education for all
(after Winston Churchill changed the
law to allow it to happen). I couldn’t
help thinking that those eminent
statesmen would be pleased to see this
room being used by Young Chamber
to improve the future of young people
all over the UK. As your MP I am
certainly very proud that it all started
here on the Isle of Wight.
The Riverside Centre,
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01983 530808
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www.islandmp.org