Almost the best …

… teamwork, blue cards, enterprise and a Scottish shambles.

The England rugby team and Lewis Hamilton came second in their respective contests. It has been said that first is first and second is nowhere. It is true that it is the winner’s name that goes on the trophy, that it is them who are remembered long after the event. But I think that there is something that is more important.

For me the most important thing in any walk of life is to be the best that you can be, to do the best with whatever ability you have been given. Sure, both the rugby team and Lewis will look at mistakes made and rue the fact that possibly they could have won. But in my view both did the best they could. Whether everyone in the McLaren pit lane could say the same is more debatable from my perspective. This emphasizes that everyone in a team must give of their best for success to be achieved.

A different kind of teamwork may develop in London. Hurlingham and Chelsea comprehensive school in Fulham is involved in discussions that could see it turned into a bi-lingual school, partly-funded by the French government. This would see the school using both the French and English languages and national curriculums. Apparently the local authority, Hammersmith and Fulham council has been approached by the French government about setting up a school using the French language, with part-funding on offer. Part of the thinking is that it could provide lessons for the children of French nationals in the capital.

Continuing with the European theme, there is a proposal being developed for a ‘blue card’ scheme which would allow suitably qualified people and their families to live and work within the EU. It is suggested that there is a need for 20 million skilled immigrants over the next 20 years. In particular, the EU is very short of expertise in engineering and computer technology. Of course, not all countries are keen on the details of the proposed scheme, some having their own preferred arrangements.

Regardless of the detailed arrangements, according to the European Commission, "To maintain and improve economic growth in the EU, it is essential for Europe to become a magnet for the highly skilled." It seems extraordinary to me that we have failed to train enough people in the skills required to support the economy. I am particularly surprised at the shortage of expertise in computer technology as IT in its various guises seems to be the one subject that interests most young people in one way or another.

I am currently involved with one of nine pilot projects in the Schools’ Enterprise Education Network programme looking at innovative ways to further the development of an enterprise approach to support the 21st century economy in the UK. If the pilot is successful I anticipate that the programme will then be rolled out across the country. This may go at least part of the way to helping schools and students align themselves more with the needs of business in a rapidly changing economic environment.

A report published yesterday said that voters were "treated as an afterthought" in the planning and organisation of the May 2007 elections in Scotland. The elections had a new ballot paper design and a new voting system for the council seats. Ron Gould heading the enquiry into the shambles that resulted said, "Changes were introduced with the expectation that they would simply fall into place."

The results process suffered considerable delays and in all some 146,000 ballot papers were rejected. There are two key learning points. If you are doing something new, always test it first. And most importantly, remember that the only reason you should be doing it is to serve your customers, in this case the voters. There seems little doubt that those responsible for the election were not the best they could be.


David Wike