Announcement made during conference that looks to nurture innovation in the East…..
Education and business came together to try to unlock innovation and skills in the region to help create the entrepreneurs of the future.
The one-day conference called ‘Classroom to Catalyst’ took place at The Hold in Ipswich and was funded by Freeport East Innovation and Skills Fund.
Suffolk New College were the lead partners with the Freeport East Skills Partnership, with other supporters being the Universities of Essex and Suffolk, Colchester Institute, East Coast College and West Suffolk College.
During the day, a host of speakers took to the stage in front of an audience of around 100 people to look at ways of helping young talent flourish through education and employment.
One of the speakers was Hermione Way, the co-founder of Innovation Lab Stowmarket and owner of Way Communications. Hermione believes that start-ups from Suffolk can go on and become the next Mark Zuckerburg.
She said: “We need to teach our next generation to be entrepreneurs and problem solve. I believe anyone can be the next Zuckerberg, and we need to get young people to believe in themselves. I put out a piece in 2015 (in the press) saying that the next Zuckerberg can come from Stowmarket – and it’s happened. Paul Hamilton from Halo has built a £2 billion start-up – so it’s a really exciting time for the area.”
The whole occasion was supported by Freeport East, who were keen to get the message out to young people that if they have an idea, there is a network of education providers and businesses who can support them.
Simon Papworth is the Head of Programmes and Transport Investments at Freeport East. He said: “This event around innovation and skills was about enterprise, forging a path for yourself and taking ownership of your destiny.
“When you have a good idea that you are excited about, finding the right people to talk to in terms of driving that idea forward is really key.
“Ultimately, this is all about making people realise that there is a lot of opportunity here and those opportunities are only going to get bigger.”
Emma Taylor is the Director of Business Development and Major Projects at Suffolk New College. Emma said, “This was the culmination of a project with six partners, of which we are the lead partner, to explore how we can nurture innovation and skills throughout the region.
“It’s important we work together so that the people who are the entrepreneurs and innovators of the future from this region are being nurtured. And from an education and business standpoint, we want to get the message out that we are here to help bring the best out of people, and ultimately that will help the future of our economy in this region and beyond.”
Freeport East is one of twelve new Freeports across the UK, which received final government approval on the 10th January 2023. As part of the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy Zones programme, it serves as a hub for global trade and national regeneration, as well as a hotbed for innovation with impact across the UK.