Mark Lancaster shares his engagements with MK Pulse

MK – The Golden Years! 

Just in you case you hadn’t heard Milton Keynes is celebrating its 50th birthday!

A yearlong programme of events have been created to celebrate the birth of the “New Town” in 1967. Developed as an answer to alleviate the chronic housing situation in London, Milton Keynes became a truly ground-breaking initiative which has been able to attract over 260,000 people and encourage a wealth of recognised major international businesses. 

Milton Keynes will be hosting a yearlong programme of exciting events and each household will be receiving a souvenir programme listing a wide variety of activities, in fact there is something that everyone can enjoy and share in this landmark birthday. Please visit http://www.mk50.co.uk/ and join the party! 

Work tree – First Rung of the Ladder to Employment 

In Milton Keynes we have established ourselves as home to many large national and international employers, Home Retail Group, Network Rail, Santander, Cocoa Cola, VW and Mercedes to name but a few.  With this wealth of successful and diverse businesses, young people can find it all the more challenging to understand what employers are looking for in this fast moving market.   

Worktree is an employability education charity that gives our youngsters access to “interview” people from the workplace. Guests are invited into schools in Milton Keynes to discuss a wide range of topics about the world of business. This direct approach has resulted in giving our youngsters a good understanding of what is required in order to succeed. 

Research shows that having career aspirations drives children to achieve in school and students prefer to listen to information first hand, driving their motivation to succeed in work. 

I will be joining the many before me to talk to the Year 10 students at Radcliffe School in Wolverton this month. My early motivation to become a member of parliament, came from when my father told me, “You will never become an MP!”  His comments have given me the drive to follow my convictions and despite being unsuccessful at the first attempt, his words have motivated me to stay focussed and continue going forward. 

Why not share your experiences and offer your invaluable advice as our students embark into the world of work? To register and select a one hour session go to http://worktree.org/