Speaking at a recent G8 webinar about the adult skills framework, Paul Montague said there was a tendency for people to underestimate the value of work experience to the island’s young people.
‘It is absolutely transformative,’ he said.
Having spoken to friends in the business world he said he understood that it could be ‘a bit of a pain’ for them, but it was very useful for young people.
‘I’ve spoken to so many young people who’ve been bimbling through their education,’ said Deputy Montague, who was formerly a teacher.
‘You’re trying to find some lever to really motivate them. They come back from one week of work experience and a switch has been flipped.’
As well as seeing it happening earlier, he said he was keen to see a lot more awareness in island schools of the various industries and careers available locally.
And he also said that a good opportunity for business leaders would be for them to get involved in the schools’ governance boards.
‘It doesn’t need to be a major contribution, but through the governance boards there really is access to education to make that link far more strongly than we currently see.’