Together is how we find our future
ACOUPLE of weeks ago I was proud to represent the high schools across Rossendale in the Rossendale Business Awards.
Together we sponsor the Enterprising Young Person award and I had the pleasure of announcing the winner (virtually of course).
It’s good to be involved in events or initiatives that celebrate or support our business community - and not just for profile raising either...
Alder Grange have supported the awards for years. It makes sense. We’ve always felt strongly that we are a local school that exists to support the local community.
We’re also a very careerdriven school and sixth form, so are keen to support activity that promotes local business success and creates opportunities for students.
The winner of the Enterprising Young Person award was a local sixth form student that set up two very different businesses during lockdown – and then went on to grow both.
A student from Alder Grange was also nominated. She too had set up a business during the lockdown period, having spotted an opportunity to build a successful business through social media.
Both young people showed enterprising skills and turned the challenging lockdown period into an opportunity to learn skills, take risks and grow as individuals – as well as earn a few quid.
And there’s other skills they share too. Transferable skills. They can communicate well, organise, priortise, adapt, learn, be resourceful and engage with others. Those extra skills that you can’t learn from a textbook but are just as important in the world of work. And let’s face it, in the world of life.
But back to careers – we encourage all our students to develop employability skills. To help we provide enterprise weeks, mock interviews, careers fairs, guest speakers and business links.
At sixth form we combine academic and applied courses with work placements and enrichment opportunities to create pathways to specific careers e.g. teaching, engineering, architecture, media.
It’s never too early to start and school’s not the only place where young people can develop these skills either. Social clubs, parttime jobs, sports clubs and links with friends and family all help. Admittedly most of these are tricky right now – but those that are keen will always find a way.
So, supporting the awards sends the right message to our students. By developing the right skills, working hard and being brave you can achieve your ambitions. And it’s not just ‘older people’ that succeed either. There’s no start or finish line for our dreams.
Linking up with other Rossendale schools also communicates the right message.
We are all in this together (now more than ever). Businesses and individuals that are successful collaborate, learn from others, ask for help and share in each other’s success.
As schools we work together too. The message remains the same; together is how we find our future.