BE #WORLDREADY

My admiration for The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is strong and long-standing.

My admiration for The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is strong and long-standing. I was therefore honoured and delighted to be invited to show my support by contributing to a short film outlining the impact and far-reaching repercussions of their work.

Also whilst formal results and in-classroom learning inevitably contribute to future opportunities, many educators, policy makers, leaders and parents are now asking what other attributes young people need to be ready for the world of work of today and tomorrow.

Non-formal education, such as that offered by The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award has been heralded for helping to develop those ‘soft’ skills – or ‘core skills’ or ‘universal’ skills, as the Award would prefer them to be called – which so many are now seeking.

The vision, scale and scope of this outstanding programme of activities helps prepare young people for the future and after all, that’s where they are going to spend the rest of their lives. So, imparting life skills such as leadership, building relationships and communication help to inspire other qualities, such as trust and self-confidence. These are skills they will need to successfully navigate the twenty-first century and beyond.

It is my firm view and one that I know is shared by other business leaders, that The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award has life enhancing qualities and builds inner strength. This in turn, is empowering and engenders the stand-out features required to differentiate young people to find their purpose in an increasingly challenging and competitive world.

BACK TO PRESS