Agenda and draft minutes

1.      Mr Lavender tabled a comprehensive paper, (attached as Appendix 1), with the answers to questions that were forwarded to him in preparation of the meeting.  

2.      The Chairman asked Mr Lavender if he would highlight some of the points in his answers which included the following:-

To what extent, in your view, do students’ academic qualifications demonstrate students’ employability?

• Business Studies in schools are different to aptitude required in business. 
• 70%-80% of the students were not prepared about business.
• Often Students realised that they have the wrong qualifications to apply for the jobs they wanted
• Need to get businesses into schools at the time the students are discussing their options

3.      The Young Chambers had visited Grammar schools and primary schools to explain its role. 

4.      Mr Lavender explained that he had helped to set up a company in a Grammar school. They had a Board of Directors which he sat on.  When the students had a problem he was able to get a local business representative to come into the school to assist them.  He gave the example of Tower School, Ashford where the students wanted to set up a shop. He invited a manager from the local outlet centre to the school, who took the students through the process of setting up the business. He then invited a representative from a local bank to them financial advice.

5.      He gave another example of Invicta Grammar School for Girls, Maidstone, who had set up a wrapping paper business but were in financial difficulties with a deal to supply Harrods under the name “Young Chamber”.  He advised them that they could not use that business name unless they joined. Mr Lavender worked to get the school back into the Young Chamber through a menu of cutting their costs.  This was then hands off mentoring.  The students arranged the funds for the business.  The Head teacher has advised them that they would have to raise the funds themselves this year for the “Young Chamber” membership of £2000.  They were now holding fund raisers.  

6.      Mr Lavender advised that the “Young Chamber” was putting on a business Lunch on 8 July at 1-2 pm and many businesses had been invited and would welcome a representative from the Select Committee.  Mr Manion agreed to attend.

7.      Mr Lavender also spoke on the issue of keeping the graduates in the county.  There should be home grown talent.  He explained that Kent graduates rarely looked at businesses in Kent for their career path and were ignorant of what businesses were in their local areas.  They tended to get information from London, where large business/banks headquarters were.  He explained that he held a careers week where there were many local businesses represented including construction.  He said that not one person stopped at the construction industry stall.  He had to ask for the attention of the Forum and ask the construction stall to give 25 jobs that were possible in that industry including Human  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1.

1.            Mr Hobbs advised that he left P& O in 1987 as their Marketing Manager, having spent more than two decades in the cross Channel Industry. He subsequently operated his own marketing consultancy for 7 years and then enjoyed a 3 year spell with the Health Education Authority, managing their Workplace Health unit and launching a nationwide Health Awards Scheme.

2.            He then joined the Training & Enterprise Council for South London (SOLOTEC) in 1997 as Senior Development Manager and worked closely with private and public sector partners in the recruitment drive for the Millennium Dome. He joined Channel Chamber as Chief Executive in March 2000.

3.            The Chamber is independent and non political and its core business is supporting the East Kent business community.  Recruitment and skills were key within his agenda.  He had experience of the government’s Future Jobs Fund, engaging 69 unemployed young people of 18-24 years old in East Kent with 6 months employment.  He advised that few if any programmes involved 6 months employment; the majority were for a few days or weeks. The students were employed in the chamber offices in Dover, Ramsgate and Folkestone.

4.            This was a unique opportunity for those who had not worked, in some cases for 6 years.  At the end of the 6 months the chamber was aiming to make everyone job ready.

5.            Mr Hobbs stated that he had learnt a great deal about the student’s backgrounds and capabilities. 120 interviewed had been to recruit the final 69.  There were no more than 10 students in this age group from grammar schools who were unemployed. 

6.            He explained that it was the programme’s aim to get everyone employment ready. Due to the close and sustainable relationships the Chamber enjoys with local business it was able to introduce local employers to the students and arrange many work placement opportunities.  He was delighted with the results so far and mentioned that 10 young people recently left the programme and Job Centre Plus had announced that 9 of them had not signed on for Job Seekers allowance  after one month of leaving the programme. 

7.            Mr Hobbs advised that during the interviews few young people could articulate their any career ambitions or what vision they had for their future.  They had few monitory ambitions.  15% of those that he had interviewed expressed a desire to enter the animal care sector.  Following further enquiries it seemed that they were asked by a Careers Advisor - what do you like doing? Since they had mentioned a

fondness for animals/pets, they were encouraged to book on a course on animal care without any real hope of securing a job in this sector.

8.            In response to a question, Mr Hobbs voiced his opinions that FE colleges and schools were dedicated to educational qualifications to the detriment of any practical workplace skills.

9.            Mr Hobbs explained that Kent and East Kent in particular was dominated by micro employers. They recruited many young people  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.