Award-winning BV Dairy, one of the most respected and successful independent dairies in the South West of England and supplier of dairy products to national / international brands and the hospitality industry, has sponsored Shaftesbury School’s membership of Dorset Chamber’s Young Chamber Programme.
The remit of the Young Chamber is to engage students across Dorset in a programme which prepares them for work, helps them to be aware of the different paths to their chosen career and inspire those who have not yet made a choice about what they would like to do.
As a Young Chamber sponsor, BV Dairy will forge links with Shaftesbury School and provide students with talks, visits and projects and support careers events. In addition, the role of the dedicated Young Chamber Coordinator is to develop a programme that helps the school access other businesses / business people from a wide variety of sectors and backgrounds across the Dorset Chamber membership. Sponsorship also enrols the school as a Dorset Chamber Member, allowing staff to attend learning seminars and network with other business and schools.
Harry Cowan, Commercial Director at BV Dairy said: “We celebrate our 60th anniversary this year and have growth plans which includes long term recruitment. We want to present ourselves to the local area as an employer recruiting at different levels, including apprenticeships and management across different skills sets. For example, our Ultra Filtration Plant is a world class facility for manufacturing requiring expertise in running and maintenance and, like any successful business, we have IT, HR, New product development, finance and sales, departments, as well as a requirement for the specialist food technologist skills needed for the development and sale of our new dairy-based products. As a local employer to the school we see this is as a perfect fit. We place a strong emphasis on training and lifelong education of our workforce to face the dynamic challenges of the 21st Century.”
Harry adds: “Forming a close link with Shaftesbury School makes sense on many levels, but what we also like about the Young Chamber Programme is the additional support its Coordinator is able to provide to the school through other Dorset Chamber members.”
Tim Farrer, Principal at Shaftesbury School, said: “We are delighted that BV Dairy has sponsored us as part of the Young Chamber and myself and our Careers Advisor, Karen Johnson, visited BV Dairy straight away to see the facilities ourselves and understand how we can work together for the benefit of our students. Being outward facing is imperative if we are to offer outstanding opportunities for young people in the area. In addition, Karen is currently working with the Young Chamber to develop the programme and engage other business to fulfil a speaker timetable, suggest projects and visits and support our careers events. The latter has involved inviting businesses to attend the school for events which are planned, catered and served by our students, which BV Dairy is happy to support as well. As a school, it is vital for us to seek active partnership with first class employers like BV Dairy and this is a key focus for us this year.”
Young Chamber is a British Chambers of Commerce and Industry initiative designed to bridge the gap between business and education. Young Chamber in Dorset works with the Careers and Enterprise Company and Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), all of whom are addressing the need for greater involvement between businesses and schools for the benefit of young people entering the world of work.
Joan Senior, Young Chamber Coordinator, said: “The latest Government announcements on careers strategy, options into higher education including apprenticeships, and aligning businesses and schools means engaging businesses as is no longer just a ‘nice to have’ but a necessity. Schools who choose to make full use of the Young Chamber programme are potentially providing an advantage for their students. I am delighted to be working with such a proactive school and engaging sponsor.”
Young Chamber in Dorset currently has several schools seeking business sponsors, as well as schools asking for speakers and site visits for students in different sectors. For more information, please contact Joan Senior, Young Chamber Coordinator at joan.senior@dcci.co.uk
