Business Breakfast at The New Sixth

Business and Education Working Together

Local business people and community groups were invited to attend a new initiative aimed at bringing the business community of Bath together with A Level students in a new networking forum. The event was held at The New Sixth in Odd Down, Bath on Friday November 22nd and was organised by the school’s Business Team.

“The idea behind our Business Breakfasts is for students and business people to engage in a series of events together that can hopefully add value to their education and working lives. Local businesses and groups expressed a real desire to share experiences and expertise and work together for the benefit of our students and the community,” said Paula Hawkins, Executive Marketing Manager for St Mark’s, St Gregory’s and The New Sixth.

“We want to support our local businesses and also offer a service to them. The Business Breakfast was an opportunity for members of the Bath business community to come along, share ideas, talk with like-minded people and raise the profile of their business or organisation.”

Speaking at the event was Jeff Gardner, General Store Manager at Morrisons, Bath.

“Jeff provided a fascinating insight into the journey of Morrisons over recent years, including the many challenges that the organisation faced along the way. Many aspects of Mr Gardner’s speech resonated with the day to day business challenges faced by our guests, who came from multiple disciplines and specialisms.”

“The event was very well attended with over fifty guests and we were delighted to welcome so many local businesses to The New Sixth to join us for the first of these events. We look forward to our next event at The New Sixth on Friday 7th February, when we will welcome guest speaker, Sam Holliday of the Small Business Federation.”

Executive Headteacher, Raymond Friel commented, “It is vital for our students, especially our sixth formers, to develop a very good understanding of the business environment and the skills and qualities needed to succeed.”

Mr Friel spoke positively about the impact that building new business relationships can have on employers and prospective employees in the area.

“We hope that this new initiative will be able to further enhance existing relationships with employers whilst developing new ones, ensuring that what we do at school today is what employers want and need tomorrow. As well as the obvious gain for our students, we hope that businesses in Bath will also benefit in many ways by getting to know the employees and employers of tomorrow.”

Two more Business Breakfasts are planned for the new year and local businesses are encouraged to make contact with the school to book their place.

The first will be held on Thursday January 23rd at St Mark’s School with guest speakers, Richard Tidswell from Business Doctors and Louise Ladbrook of BusinessWest, followed by a second event on Friday 7th February at The New Sixth with guest speaker Sam Holliday.

“I would encourage anyone operating or starting up a new business in Bath to get in touch, as it will be a great way to make new contacts, share ideas and promote your business.”

For further information, or to book your place, please telephone Paula Hawkins or Emily Oliver on 01225 326605 by. Places are free, but limited.