I have been working with closely with Weston College on several exciting projects, all with the aim of supporting young people to kickstart their careers.

After having a successful career and now running my own business (Neil’s Data Consultancy), I really wanted to give something back to help students think about what they might like to do, along with giving some practical tips along the way.

Weston-super-Mare is in my blood and as a former student of Weston Sixth Form, I could not think of a better educational partner to help provide that advice and support.

Over the last year I have been involved in exciting initiatives with Weston College, which has really benefited myself as an employer, but more importantly, young people looking for an opportunity.

I started off by getting involved in Kickstart, offering two placements to local people that were looking for an opportunity. I offered them the chance to become Assistant Accountants, and they were involved in everything; client management, bookkeeping, VAT returns, payroll submissions, accounts preparation work and management reporting production.

It had a huge impact on the business, as not only did they complete their work to a high standard, but it also released me to work on other areas of the business, such as marketing, networking and providing valuable business advisory services to clients.

I was so impressed that I offered one of the people on placement a permanent job, and they continue to thrive within the organisation.

It has been fantastic to give someone with no prior experience an opportunity and support them through training and sharing knowledge that I have developed over the years in industry. To now see them in full time employment and furthering their development with a funded chartered accountancy course, has been highly rewarding personally, as well as hugely beneficial to the business.

We did not want our work with Weston College to end there, so we decided to get involved with their new Career Excellence Hubs and provide learners with opportunities to develop key skills required by industry and give them a taste of the real world of work.

It’s important for industry and education to cross over to ensure that the young people in Weston have the skills they need for the future. Things have moved on a lot since I was a student and so it's important to understand the different paths a student can now take from education into employment.

On top of this, there are some hugely talented students out there and through something like an apprenticeship programme with Weston College, we can help nurture and train individuals to be incredibly valuable assets to our businesses.

If like me, you run a business and want to access a new pool of talent, then I highly recommend contacting the team at Weston College, you won’t be disappointed.

Neil Criddle, Neil’s Data Consultancy

If you would like to become a Future Talent Business Partner like Neil, you can find out how, by clicking here.