My Column

Young folk are our future... Help them flourish

  • Date: Monday 4th February 2013
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There’s nothing like a little bit of healthy competition to get the blood pumping. 

I have built businesses from scratch and turned them into multi-million pound ventures on the cutting edge of Scottish commerce.

Ambition gripped me and made me want to be the best I could be.

Don’t get me wrong, I came up against my own fair share of rivals but hard work and street smarts helped me pull through the hard times to be a success in my chosen areas.  

Referendum is looming and Scotland hasn’t had such a strong national identity since William Wallace defeated the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.

Patriotism is seeping out of the nation’s pours and its people are slowly but surely overcoming industrial demise, chronic unemployment and a double-dip recession that has hung over our heads in recent years.

Now we are starting to gradually claw back the integrity that has been imbedded in us from our ancestors.

Young people are fundamental to this. They will be the ones holding the fort when we are old and grey. And that is why it is so important that we build a nation of achievers, those who have the education and business acumen behind them to put this country back on the map.

Organisations like the Scottish Institute for Enterprise (SIE) help inspire and motivate young people to do just that.

SIE is this year running a unique national competition called The Young Innovators Challenge which is tasking 18 to 24-year-old final year students to come up with solutions to a range of issues currently facing Scotland’s key industries. 

I applaud organisations that incentivise young people by offering top cash prizes, to not only be creative and business minded, but actually come up with ideas to combat current problems in the Scottish economy.

It’s no secret that the past few years have been a bit of a mess. Our mining, shipping and textiles industries have started to dry up. It’s has been uncomfortable viewing for many as we’ve watched factory closure and job losses flood the headlines.

By organising competitions like this, we’re educating young people about Scottish business history, the mistakes we have made and the problems we have faced - ones which we should try and not repeat in the future.

Including them in coming up with solutions, we can move with a more unified approach to eradicating these issues.

I was speaking with SIE’s Fiona Godsman, who like me, is keen to advocate the importance of developing young business talent in this country.

She told me that the Young Innovators Challenge is a fantastic opportunity for Scotland’s young business minds, and she is 100 per cent right. The competition is a unique concept in that entrants are being asked to come up with a solution to real industry problems, rather than simply submit their own business ideas.

I think this is a great idea because what you’re essentially doing here is finding Scotland’s business leaders of the future. By taking part in the competition participants will have the chance to develop their business and entrepreneurial skills as well as gain an understanding of how to set up and run a business.

I can’t encourage Scots students enough to try their hand at this unique opportunity. Who knows, SIE might have Scotland’s next Sir Tom Hunter in its midst.

 

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