Sixth Form students from the Region were inspired to consider opportunities further afield after hearing from Sir Gary Verity of Welcome to Yorkshire.
Sir Gary delivered the key-note address at Stand Out in a Global Market, an event for young people about studying, working and volunteering abroad. He shared with delegates how the intercultural skills and global perspective he gained whilst working in Hong Kong has helped when working with international partners to bring events such as the Tour de France Grand Départ to Yorkshire.
Yorkshire’s economy continues to become increasingly global, with most jobs now involving some form of interaction with people from other countries; be they colleagues, suppliers or customers. Therefore, making sure that the young people who are about to enter the labour market have the skills needed to be a success in international business will only make the region more attractive for global investment.
He stressed that for employers, a candidate with international experience on their CV jumps out as it shows that they are not afraid to take a risk. Equally these candidates tend to have developed excellent communication, organisation and problem solving skills whilst abroad, all of which are highly desirable in the modern workplace.
Stand Out in a Global Market is an annual event organised by the UK’s Euroguidance centre and was held at the Carriageworks in Leeds this year. Euroguidance UK is funded by the EU and delivered by the Yorkshire based social enterprise, aspire-igen. It is a part of a network of 33 Euroguidance Centres throughout Europe which shares best practice about opportunities and the practicalities of studying, working and volunteering abroad and the great employability benefits which comes which such endeavours.
Sir Gary’s message was reaffirmed by the other speakers at the event, which included local MEP Richard Corbett, gap year organisation Projects Abroad and staff and students from both Leeds Beckett University and the University of Leeds.
As one student delegate said “The event has shown me a wide range of international options and has made me more determined to explore the World in order to improve my future prospects.”
These sentiments were echoed by aspire-igen CEO Caroline Harrison who said “Recent political events have placed Britain’s role in the World at the forefront of people’s thinking. What the Stand Out in a Global Market event shows is that, no matter what happens in the coming years, a globally open and experienced workforce will be paramount to Yorkshire’s continuing success.”
