Employers and professionals from across Bristol are being encouraged to help skill-up the city’s school leavers by supporting the RSG Bristol Young Student of the Year competition.
Officially launched next Wednesday with more than 18 schools and 35 teams already registered, the initiative has attracted significant backing from main sponsors, Clifton-based national recruitment organisation RSG (Resource Solutions Group).
Other supporters include The Society of Merchant Venturers and, for the second year running, BPP University College. Bristol Business News will again act as media partner.
The competition, staged for the first time last year, is for 16-19 year olds, is free to enter and is open to all State schools, colleges and academies in Bristol region.
This year’s theme is Bristol Young Futures and teams taking part in the competition will work with clients from key industries in Bristol to create a concept that feeds into an online portal specifically showcasing career opportunities young people.
The competition will also provide Bristol businesses with a chance to build on their corporate and social responsibility policies by working with young people in their home city.
Businesses can pledge support in a number of ways including donating job placements and internships as well as providing cash prizes for team awards. Business professionals can also contribute their expertise by becoming official mentors to the students taking part.
RSG has signed up to be the competition’s headline sponsor for at least the next two years.
Its chief executive Mike Beesley said: “As an organisation, this is something we feel extremely strongly about. While there is a lot of conversation around the future of university graduates, school leavers and those who may not get into university are being forgotten.
“It is not the education system’s job to make students work-place savvy but, as the head of a national recruitment organisation, I see every day the significant lack of commercial awareness in young people and it causes me a great deal of concern about the future of our economy and for young people’s aspirations in general.
“This competition is a great place to start looking at how to address these issues. There is a fantastic sense of collaboration already around the project and I hope that, through our ongoing involvement and commitment to it, we can really make a difference both for students and business alike.”
Teams will work in five main sectors with one main company in each presenting a business brief that the youngsters will respond to.
The competition has three stages over six months and presents students with the opportunity to win a life-changing £15,000 BPP scholarship alongside a number of other prizes.
The Society of Merchant Venturers has signed up to support the competition for the next three years.
David Marsh, master of the Society, said: “Supporting young people and helping them find employment is something that businesses are perfectly placed to do – both in terms of access to advice and mentoring as well as actually providing jobs.
“It is also a great opportunity for businesses to experience the benefits that working alongside young, enthusiastic people can bring. This competition is a very practical and directed way of helping nurture talent and provide inspiration, so and we’re looking forwards to seeing what both the businesses and school teams will create.”
The competition is the brainchild of Bristol events organiser Elaine Brown, who said: “It is fantastic to see such enthusiasm and support for this year’s competition coming from some of the top companies and business people in this area.
“Last year’s competition was a great success so we already know how generous the business community in Bristol can be. We are really looking forward to working with organisations across all sectors and industries in Bristol who create real job opportunities for young people and are critical to the local economy.
“The overall aim is to bridge the gap between employers and young people in Bristol, helping kids make a difference to their futures. We can’t do this without the support of businesses.”
The official launch of the competition to schools takes place next Wednesday at Bristol City Football Club’s Ashton Gate stadium between 1.30-4.30pm.
To find out how to get involved email liz.gibbs@rsg-plc.com, go to Facebook www.facebook.com/BrisYoungTalent or on Twitter @brisyoungtalentor
Pictured, from left: Mike Beesley of RSG, Jonathan Snary of BPP, Bristol Young Student of the Year founder Elaine Brown, David Bird, director of Bristol Young Talent, and David Marsh, master of The Society of Merchant Venturers
