Bexhill urged to learn from Eastbourne

Newly re-vamped Bexhill and District Education Business Partnership held a breakfast meeting at Manor Barn under the banner "Our youth of today are your workforce of tomorrow."

The partnership's aims are: "To raise the aspirations and achievements of young people and to enable them to become part of a skilled and adaptable workforce."

Guest speakers included High School head Michael Conn, Hastings Direct personnel manager Christian Lippiatt and Tim Sorensen of Sussex Careers Service.

Tim Sorensen has spent 10 years developing the successful education business partnership in Eastbourne.

He told the meeting: "Education, training, does not take place solely within the four wall of a classroom."

Without the active participation of people outside education the partnership could not achieve results.

If a true partnership was created, not only did young people benefit but adults - society as a whole.

He realised that business leaders were busy people. "Everyone has problems. We have to move beyond that and work collectively together."

He told the meeting: "Without support from businesses, we just could not have achieved the results we have in Eastbourne."

Education business partnership was about building young people's confidence, about showing them how to communicate, how to make presentations.

It worked - reception class children of four and five had faced the Mayor of Eastbourne and the council leader to talk about their work.

"I would challenge many business people to stand before people they don't know and make a presentation.

"It is important for young people to understand that education, training, is all part of the real world. It is not something that stops at 16 or 19."

Chairing the meeting, High School assistant head Dave Cowley had explained that the partnership had become a company. The aim now was to "set the agenda for the way forward."

Cllr Gubby had set the partnership in context with town regeneration. Young people were a key element in improving the economy and the quality of life of the town, he said.