Go East young man
Earlier this week I was speaking at the Born Global event run by Entrepreneur Country. On the same day, the latest UK unemployment figures were released, with the shocking statistic that youth unemployment now exceeds over 1 million, with a staggering 21% of 16 – 24 year olds without a job.
While I was listening to some excellent speakers, urging entrepreneurs to look around the world to expand their businesses in fast growing economies, it struck me that perhaps there are opportunities for ambitious young people who are willing to travel.
In our offices in Vadoroda, India, there are currently 3 interns who have come to India to learn how business works there. They are from Mexico, Brazil and China. They have recognised that today’s economy is global and the more you can learn from other countries at the beginning of your career, the more marketable you will be. Employers in fast growing economies value the skills that British people can bring to the market; examples could be a trainer in a call centre, or a marketing graduate who can provide a view of the UK economy and customers.
Any young Brit that is willing to go and spend 6-12 months in one of these emerging countries will almost certainly walk into a job when they get back. I think if we had a generation of young people, who had experience of other fast growing markets it could only help the UK to become more competitive as an economy and perhaps even assist us in getting back on the path to growth.
