Hastings businesses could start scouting for potential in our schools
Football clubs don’t wait until a talented young player is 18, unemployed and wondering what to do with their life before taking an interest in them.
They scout for potential.
They look for ability early, nurture it, build confidence and provide a pathway through which that young person might flourish.
Why can’t we do something similar between schools and businesses in Hastings?
This week, Hastings is discussing its new community-led approach to reducing poverty. Much of the conversation quite rightly concerns food, housing, financial hardship, education, health and employment.
But there is another question I think we should be asking:
How do we prevent today’s children from becoming tomorrow’s adults experiencing poverty?
The anti-poverty plan itself acknowledges that children experiencing poverty can suffer reduced educational attainment and that there is a persistent earnings gap between children eligible for free school meals and other children.
Surely one of the most powerful things we can do is create opportunity much earlier.
Schools already know where the talent is
Teachers see things that don’t necessarily appear on exam results.
They know the child who can take something apart and put it back together.
The one who is brilliant with computers.
The natural salesperson.
The youngster who struggles sitting behind a desk but comes alive when they’re doing something practical.
The child who loves cooking.
The organiser.
The artist.
The problem solver.
The pupil who may not believe they’re particularly good at anything but whose teacher can see enormous potential.
These abilities don’t always translate neatly into grades.
But they might translate brilliantly into careers.
Bring Hastings businesses into our schools
I’d like to see local businesses partnered with schools to help identify and develop that potential.
Not another careers fair once a year.
Not businesses standing behind tables handing out leaflets.
Real, ongoing relationships between schools, young people and local employers.
A hotel could help develop young people with fantastic people skills.
A restaurant could nurture somebody fascinated by food.
A construction or engineering business could work with youngsters who thrive on practical problem-solving.
Technology businesses could engage children interested in coding and digital skills.
Retailers could recognise somebody with natural commercial ability.
Creative businesses could find the designers, photographers, writers and content creators of the future.
The principle is simple:
Spot potential. Create a connection. Develop it.
Perhaps that begins at 14 with a visit to a workplace.
At 15 it might become mentoring.
At 16, meaningful work experience.
Then perhaps a Saturday job, training, an apprenticeship or eventually a permanent job.
There doesn’t have to be a guaranteed job at the end. The objective is to give a young person something incredibly valuable:
a pathway they can see.
And it must be for everyone
This is important.
I wouldn’t create a scheme exclusively for “disadvantaged children”.
The moment we do that, we’ve created another label.
It should be available to every young person.
But where poverty creates a barrier to taking an opportunity, we should quietly remove that barrier.
If a young person needs safety boots, chef whites, tools, a laptop, a bus pass, interview clothes or help paying for a qualification, a small opportunity fund could provide it.
No child should have to announce that their family can’t afford something before they’re allowed to pursue their potential.
Fund the opportunity, not the label.
Businesses benefit too
This isn’t businesses doing charity.
It’s investment.
Employers continually talk about recruitment difficulties, skills shortages and young people leaving education without the skills businesses need.
So let’s bring the two sides together earlier.
Instead of businesses waiting for somebody to appear with a CV at 18, let them help develop their future workforce.
For some young people, that relationship could go even further. A local business might sponsor them through university, helping with tuition fees, living costs, equipment or work placements while they gain the qualifications needed for a future career. The business develops skilled local talent; the young person can pursue their potential without family income deciding how far they are able to go.
That could also keep more talent, and ultimately more money, within Hastings.
The anti-poverty plan describes the need for a coordinated, “whole-system approach”.
For me, local businesses have to be part of that system.
From crisis to resilience
We absolutely need services that help people when they’re in crisis.
But an anti-poverty strategy cannot only be about becoming better at helping people once they are poor.
It must also ask how we stop poverty repeating itself from one generation to another.
Education, confidence, skills, relationships, experience and employment are all part of that.
So here’s one idea for Hastings:
Schools identify potential.
Businesses open doors.
The community removes barriers.
Young people get opportunities.
Football has been scouting young talent for generations.
Perhaps it’s time the rest of us started doing it too.
Barry Ashley
The Grumpy Cook