We apparently aspire to be like other regions and want a convention centre for Rockhampton, or more correctly the government money to build one. Fair enough there are good reasons for both building and running one.
However let’s make our number 1 aspiration for the region to be different, stand out, not just be ‘I’ve got one to’.
Next Wednesday (April 13) RING (Rockhampton Innovative Networking Group) is holding another of their C2C (Communication to Careers) sessions with secondary school students.
It’s not a career expo but a way student’s can interact with a variety of business people.
Primarily a communication confidence building exercise for the students it also enables them to develop their personal network with business people, possibly leading to a part-time, even full time position.
Or a network that could encourage and support a budding young entrepreneur turn an idea into a business. A business that creates new jobs as it grows.
A bit of a mental stretch; only if resigned to mediocrity!
A survey at the beginning of this year found 4% of 15-25 year old Australian STEM students had an interest in working for a startup.
A startup is a hazy defined word politicians now add to their rhetoric when revealing how jobs will be created.
One definition suggests a startup is trialling different (new) business models to solve a viable problem, that once successful can be easily duplicated thus enabling rapid growth of the model including jobs created.
On a world comparison 4% is low; if politicians are serious about startup’s (and job creation) they need to be pro-active in bringing about an environment that dramatically increases this percentage.
This is the field Rockhampton Region needs to have its greatest aspirations.
Pushing for the creation and development of Australia’s first Youth Entrepreneurship Economic Zone, where propagating startup’s becomes part of the regions culture.
Yes I’ve pushed for this previously; I’m hoping persistence may encourage our community leaders to aspire for greater aspirations than ‘I want one too’.
To effectively create a Youth Entrepreneurship Economic Zone will involve a cultural change and will most likely need to be driven by a bottom up approach until the top sees the political advantages of getting on board.
Stuff like taking the time to talk to secondary school students, listen to their post school ambitions and encouraging them to chase them and suggest ways they can get help developing them.
That is part of a bottom up approach.
The days of telling students to get a safe job are over. Safe jobs aren’t safe anymore.
The economic signs indicate Australia needs to encourage greater entrepreneurialism.
The Rockhampton Region could be a pilot test in developing the culture and infrastructure that is required?
Too much of a mental stretch; only if we have resigned ourselves to mediocrity!
Like to be active in the bottom up approach join RING at Emmaus College next Wednesday, details can be found on www.ring.org.au/c2c. As well as a link to my previous columns about a Youth Entrepreneurship Economic Zone.