Results suggest the future is looking bright
Date published:
The Chamber’s latest column for The Journal by John McCabe, chief executive.
With news of the gap narrowing between London and the North East for students receiving 7/A or above in their GCSE results, the future looks bright for the region and for our students.
It is the first time this gap has narrowed year-on-year since 2016.
I’ve been truly inspired over the last few weeks by all of the hard work and impressive results achieved by the business leaders, entrepreneurs and skilled workforce of tomorrow.
This generation will shape the future of the North East and ensure the region and its businesses are an influential force for good, not just nationally but on a global scale.
I encourage our future-shapers to think big, continue to work hard and place no limit on their ambition.
It was a big moment for my family when the last of my three children received the results she needed to head off to university. I didn’t go to university, my children are the first to do so in my family and I couldn’t be more proud of them.
It’s not that I didn’t have the opportunity, it would be a cop out for me to claim that. It was because that was a way of life and study that just didn’t suit me at the time.
When my dad saw a job advertised at his work for a clerical trainee, essentially, an apprentice, I jumped at the chance and fortunately, I got the job.
On completion of the two year course, my full-time employment began and I was fortunate enough to be able to study for other qualifications in my own time.
This was perfect for me and it gave me an appreciation of further education that remains as strong to this day.
That was all more than 30 years ago. And since then, my career has taken me in different directions, culminating in what I consider my dream job, chief executive of the North East Chamber of Commerce.
It’s a job that takes me into Downing Street and Parliament, meetings with regional, national and international business leaders. It gives me a platform from which I can talk about life and work in the North East.
There are so many opportunities in the region, and it really is an exciting time for former students to embark on their journey into the world of work.
For anyone planning on going to college or university, re-sitting A-levels, building work experience, or completing an internship or apprenticeship, I’d encourage you to hold on to a sense of purpose.
Ask yourself what impact you want to make in life, in your community and in the wider world. I urge you to be bold, aim high and stay true to your values. Surround yourself with good, positive people.
It’s not about what you do or how you do it; it’s about your motivation in life.
It’s about having a sense of purpose. The future belongs to you, go and seize it.