I recently had the fantastic opportunity of attending the annual Guernsey Institute of Directors convention. Guernsey really leads the way in this with over 750 members - over 30 of whom are Chartered Directors. The opportunity for students to attend the event, provided by the Ana Leaf Foundation, is a real benefit of living on such a small, close-knit island. For those of us looking to make a difference in the world of business and politics, this was a real eye-opener.
Upon seeing this year's theme: 'Infrastructure', I found myself thinking, 'Oh dear, they're going to be talking about road works for three hours'. However, as I looked more closely into local issues over the week building up to the dinner, I found that this theme encapsulated a huge variety of areas. Infrastructure is transport links: how we get to and from the island, as well as getting about once we're here; infrastructure is education: how and where the next generation is going to be educated and, now, infrastructure is digital: how we communicate with each other and with the outside world.
Students were able to attend an informal lunch prior to the dinner which enabled us to discuss a variety of issues with experienced businesspeople including branch IoD chairwoman Linda Johnson, in a relaxed environment. Alistair Stewart, who would be moderating the evening's event, also attended the lunch. Despite living in the UK, Alistair had visited Guernsey many times and I feel I speak on behalf of everyone when I say he truly seemed to connect with local issues. Having a long chat really enabled us to get our voices heard and speak up about what is affecting young people in Guernsey. Alistair admitted to us later that our input at lunch time had guided how he led the debate in the evening.
This year's key note speaker, Richard Abadie, gave the room an expert look into the effects of infrastructure globally as well as how businesses can work with governments. He perhaps left some food for thought for politicians here including points about investing in renewable energy, future technology, funding and age demographics. Head of Policy and Resources, Gavin St Pier, then gave a short speech mentioning the Policy and Resources (CHECK) Medium Term Plan and how we should be listening to the local community to see how we can change social infrastructure and create a happy place to live.
After a delicious dinner served by Sueco, the debate began. Alistair started by asking all the panellists what they thought was the most important issue to be discussed. These ranged from digital infrastructure to the harbour to air links - for which the audience was not afraid to show support. We began by discussing digital infrastructure and how vital this was if we wanted to attract business people to the island. However it was pointed out that this could become very costly due to the rapidly-changing digital landscape. I found the debate lively and engaging as many members of the audience were interviewed to constantly keep the panel on their toes and keep ideas flowing.
The debate moved on to air links - a topic on which 90% of survey respondents had selected as the most important problem we face. The recently eradicated London City route was mentioned with the suggestion of States subsidies so that business people, who could potentially generate a large amount of GDP, are able to travel here more easily. Proposals such as reduced waiting times at Gatwick and technology which enabled landing in fog were well-received. Better connections to Jersey to enable travel further abroad were suggested but it was pointed out that this could result in people travelling to Jersey and not continuing on to Guernsey. Naturally the issues of the expansion of the airport runway came up, with support and opposition in the room. Alistair spoke to a representative of 'Waves' who explained how it was possible to make use of existing infrastructure with a new product. Personally, I feel that the extension of the runway is unnecessary and that smaller, more frequent flights, possibly to more destinations, would be a better use of our infrastructure.
The final topic up for debate was education. As students we all felt very strongly about many of these issues and were grateful when Alistair came to ask us some questions about IT education. It was clear to see that many employers were frustrated with the lack of locals coming out of education with skills in IT which forced them to recruit from the UK and elsewhere. Whilst I'm not personally a huge fan of technology, I do feel that a good grounding in IT is essential at least up to Key Stage 3. In order to improve further and higher education on-island, more funding to the College of Further Education, university-standard education and international students doing specialised courses were all suggested.
By the end of the debate I felt not only far more aware of issues concerning our island, I also, more importantly, understood how vital it is for businesses to effectively collaborate with the government in order to ensure economic and social growth. As a student, I also relished the opportunity to get my voice heard in such an experienced and renowned environment hopefully making the island a better place for future generations.
Upon seeing this year's theme: 'Infrastructure', I found myself thinking, 'Oh dear, they're going to be talking about road works for three hours'. However, as I looked more closely into local issues over the week building up to the dinner, I found that this theme encapsulated a huge variety of areas. Infrastructure is transport links: how we get to and from the island, as well as getting about once we're here; infrastructure is education: how and where the next generation is going to be educated and, now, infrastructure is digital: how we communicate with each other and with the outside world.
Students were able to attend an informal lunch prior to the dinner which enabled us to discuss a variety of issues with experienced businesspeople including branch IoD chairwoman Linda Johnson, in a relaxed environment. Alistair Stewart, who would be moderating the evening's event, also attended the lunch. Despite living in the UK, Alistair had visited Guernsey many times and I feel I speak on behalf of everyone when I say he truly seemed to connect with local issues. Having a long chat really enabled us to get our voices heard and speak up about what is affecting young people in Guernsey. Alistair admitted to us later that our input at lunch time had guided how he led the debate in the evening.
This year's key note speaker, Richard Abadie, gave the room an expert look into the effects of infrastructure globally as well as how businesses can work with governments. He perhaps left some food for thought for politicians here including points about investing in renewable energy, future technology, funding and age demographics. Head of Policy and Resources, Gavin St Pier, then gave a short speech mentioning the Policy and Resources (CHECK) Medium Term Plan and how we should be listening to the local community to see how we can change social infrastructure and create a happy place to live.
After a delicious dinner served by Sueco, the debate began. Alistair started by asking all the panellists what they thought was the most important issue to be discussed. These ranged from digital infrastructure to the harbour to air links - for which the audience was not afraid to show support. We began by discussing digital infrastructure and how vital this was if we wanted to attract business people to the island. However it was pointed out that this could become very costly due to the rapidly-changing digital landscape. I found the debate lively and engaging as many members of the audience were interviewed to constantly keep the panel on their toes and keep ideas flowing.
The debate moved on to air links - a topic on which 90% of survey respondents had selected as the most important problem we face. The recently eradicated London City route was mentioned with the suggestion of States subsidies so that business people, who could potentially generate a large amount of GDP, are able to travel here more easily. Proposals such as reduced waiting times at Gatwick and technology which enabled landing in fog were well-received. Better connections to Jersey to enable travel further abroad were suggested but it was pointed out that this could result in people travelling to Jersey and not continuing on to Guernsey. Naturally the issues of the expansion of the airport runway came up, with support and opposition in the room. Alistair spoke to a representative of 'Waves' who explained how it was possible to make use of existing infrastructure with a new product. Personally, I feel that the extension of the runway is unnecessary and that smaller, more frequent flights, possibly to more destinations, would be a better use of our infrastructure.
The final topic up for debate was education. As students we all felt very strongly about many of these issues and were grateful when Alistair came to ask us some questions about IT education. It was clear to see that many employers were frustrated with the lack of locals coming out of education with skills in IT which forced them to recruit from the UK and elsewhere. Whilst I'm not personally a huge fan of technology, I do feel that a good grounding in IT is essential at least up to Key Stage 3. In order to improve further and higher education on-island, more funding to the College of Further Education, university-standard education and international students doing specialised courses were all suggested.
By the end of the debate I felt not only far more aware of issues concerning our island, I also, more importantly, understood how vital it is for businesses to effectively collaborate with the government in order to ensure economic and social growth. As a student, I also relished the opportunity to get my voice heard in such an experienced and renowned environment hopefully making the island a better place for future generations.
Comments
Post a Comment