Employment Forum

If it's not one Forum, it's another. Today it's the Employment Forum at the SAS Radisson hotel at Stansted Airport. I've decided to go along because I thought I'd make some contacts who will be useful for my 'raising aspirations' project.

And I'm absolutely right. The presentations - from BAA Stansted HR Director Murray Thomas, deputy chairman of the regional development agency George Kieffer, Terry Youll of the local Learning & Skills Council, Phil Young from consultancy Urban Futures, Mick Hadgraft of UnionLearn, BAA's Valda Edmunds and Urban Futures' Steve Delaney - are interesting and thought-provoking.

Almost every speaker uses the word 'aspiration' in their presentation. Learning and skills and aiming higher really is going to be important in our region. We're told today that the number of jobs requiring no skills or qualifications will fall over the coming years from 4 million to only half a million; but that more than a third of East of England residents fail to achieve a Level 2 (equivalent to five good GCSEs) qualification. The East of England has the lowest rate of apprenticeships in England - and the lack of apprenticeship opportunities is a theme that's recurring over and over again as I talk to people about my project.

But as usual in these events, it's the conversations over coffee and a buffet lunch at the end that really add value to the event. I meet up with people I haven't seen for years - like the former deputy head at my children's school. And I meet new people too, and fill my handbag with their business cards and my head with new ideas for the project.