Business experts go back to school
As secondary schools are encouraged to become specialists in a particular subject - in the arts, languages or science - Bradford scools are aiming to encourage youngsters to become the entrepreneurs of the future. Asian Eye looks at how business and teachers are working closer together.
Although most companies' main concern is the bottom line, more and more are becoming aware of their place in the community.
And many are taking the opportunity to spend a day out of the office to spend a day with the people who could use their help.
Top executive trainer, Lesley Jenkins, 45, is just one example of representatives from a wave of Bradford businesses keen to give something back.
Lesley, owner of Wibsey based Pyramid Training (UK) Ltd, is set to return to her old school, Buttershaw Business and Enterprise College, to help pupils develop presentation and public speaking skills.
Lesley has contracts with many blue-chip, multi-national corporations, including the BBC, Asda, Nestle and Boots, but is thrilled to have been asked back.
Former head girl Lesley left Buttershaw High, as it was known, in 1977. She said: When I left school I didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted to do. However I have now started my own training consultancy.
We now go all over the world - wherever work takes us - and help with a whole range of training, communication and presentation skills.
One of my trainsers was on the board of directors at Buttershaw and said I ought to get involved.
I am delighted to be able to help out. Buttershaw gave me a great foundation. A lot of people in my industry went to public school. But to be honest I left Buttershaw with better qualifications than a lot of those.
At the end of the day the teaching at Buttershaw was excellent. It feels fantastic to give something back to an institution which gave me such a head start.
Lesley will be working with GCSE and A-level students to pass on her public speaking expertise. But she aims to stress the importance of hard work and underline the fact that anyone can achieve, irrespective of race, class or birthplace.
Buttershaw gave me the belief that success had nothing to do with the family you are born into or the neighbourhood you live in,
said Lesley. You can achieve whatever you want despite where you come from. I am really proud to have been to Buttershaw.
Former Buttershaw Enterprise teacher Ann Kilmartin, 50, has retained her links with the school despite leaving to launch her own business 18 months ago.
Ann is putting the theory she taught to two generations into practice after opening AJ's Fish and Chip restaurant in Hebden Bridge. But she still visits the school regularly to teach enterprise classes.
She said: I love being with the kids. I am not sure that my business gets anything from it - but I would encourage more business people to get involved with school pupils.
I get a lot of enjoyment from it and - hopefully - make a difference.
Sue Stewart, Buttershaw Business and Enterprise College business manager said: Pupils really do listen to people who have real knowledge of what they are talking about.
They are able to look up to someone and both Lesley and Ann have real knowledge of their subject. We are very lucky to have them working with us.
Restauranteur Amjad Bashir has long-standing links with a second Bradford specialist business and enterprise school - Laisterdyke.
Amjad owns the Kebabeesh restaurant in Greengates and the newly opened Zouk cafe in Leeds Road.
He said: We have pupils on work experience and myself and my sons have spent time working with the colleges students to give them direct knowledge of business.
Laisterdyke is an inner-city school which has challenges, so we try to inspire them academically. The school also has a lot of Asian youngsters so we are pleased that we have been able to get involved and help.
Laisterdyke Business Studies teacher Gerard Liston said the key to the success of school's links with local business was that they gave the opportunity to see classroom theory put into practice.
He said: Amjad is a successful businessman who is very knowledgable and is a real role model for our pupils.
Richard Wightman, president of Bradford Chamber, said: We think it's a very good idea for companies to get involved with schools and vice versa. The new links make it easier to demonstrate how and why the private sector is so important to the community as well as the economy.
Pupils can learn elements of entreprenuership and school staff can gain a better knowledge of what is needed by business folk. We still need to get more in the curriculum in relationship to business but reading days, mentors and work visits are all examples of good engagement.
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