Member Article

John Anderson CBE shares this thoughts on The Apprentice and the importance of good quality staff

Sir Alan Sugar was not the only one who was somewhat let down when Apprentice contestant Helen Milligan’s business plan fell by the wayside in the final of the BBC TV show earlier this month.

After winning nearly all of the tasks and demonstrating an unquestionable flair for getting things done in a corporate environment, super-efficient Helen was hotly-tipped as winner, but the final stage task revealed that her impressive skill set was much more suited to that of an employee, as opposed to an entrepreneur.

I think there was an important lesson to be learned here: starting an enterprise is not for everyone, and success in business is not all about the person who comes up with the original idea. Quality employees are literally the lifeblood of successful firms the world over.

Education and enterprise are essential factors in any economy, but not all young people want to go to university or open their own business, so it is equally important that local employers are able to take on young people and assist them in developing work skills.

This month of finals has also seen the culmination of the Big Ideas Youth Challenge. The competition provides a fantastic way to get young people involved and enthused in the business of software and IT. Of course this encourages entrepreneurial spirit, but the young people involved will have also gained a real taste of working on a commercial project, developing ideas and overcoming challenges. These are all areas in which they may operate as employees in the future.

Competitions such as this one have huge benefits for our communities. Not only do they encourage the entrepreneurs of tomorrow, they also arm young people such as Helen, who are more suited to life as an employee, with essential work skills to allow them to flourish in any job in the future.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by John Anderson CBE .