Jack Flower and Jacob Klingstroem, of Central Sussex College Sixth Form, Haywards Heathwin competition to attend Institute of Directors (IoD) Annual Convention 2010 in London.

PRESS DISPENSARY - Monday, May 17, 2010 - Two teenage business students from Central Sussex College Sixth Form, Haywards Heath, recently received a big boost to their entrepreneurial ambitions when they became special guests of the Institute of Directors (IoD) at the IoD Annual Convention, held at the Royal Albert Hall.

Jacob Klingstroem and Jack Flower, both studying BTECs in National Business, won a contest held by the IoD in association with the Inspire Group. Rubbing shoulders with more than 2000 of Britain's top business leaders at the IoD's biggest annual event was the prize.

Keynote addresses by Vince Cable, George Osborne and Peter Mandelson - just days before the election - provided political insight and topical excitement, while a live video link to Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu inspired conventioneers. Indeed, a wide range of speakers from the worlds of business, politics and sport offered comment, wisdom and insight invaluable to anyone just starting out.

Of particular significance to the students was the Entrepreneur's Panel, highly positive about the idea of going into business and offering notebooks-worth of experience, tips and advice on starting up.

Jacob Klingstroem recounted: "At the IoD Annual Convention I learned many things from the guest speakers," and went on to cite ambition, vision, determination and perseverance as the most important, concluding: "You must set yourself business goals, you must be able to reach and exceed them so you use your full potential."

Jack Flower recalled: "The IoD convention enthused me to a new and higher level. I found the entrepreneurs' panel an exciting and encouraging debate."

The competition was open to students in Central Sussex College's Crawley and Haywards Heath campuses as well as East Surrey College, Redhill, being leading colleges in the Gatwick Diamond - a term frequently used to describe the business community that flourishes around Gatwick. Jacob and Jack were joined on the day by East Surrey College winners Dee Belcher and Richard Harvie, both Foundation Degree in Business students. All four were looked after in London by Nick Handley and Neil Tomlinson of IoD Sussex.

"This was a fantastic opportunity for the students to see how exciting and rewarding it can be to found or manage a business," said Nick. Neil added: "The students all came away inspired by the experiences of business leaders who were once just starting out like them but have now achieved great things."

The IoD's competition partner was the Inspire Group. Caroline Wood, Deputy Area Director for Sussex at the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), which runs the Inspire Group, commented: "The South East has a vibrant business community within the Gatwick Diamond, which we hope will continue for many generations. The Inspire Group is committed to promoting stronger links between business and education in the region, and it's great to see an organisation such as the IoD supporting our students and providing them with an opportunity to step into the engine room of British business."

Notes for editors

About IoD Sussex

The Sussex branch of the Institute of Directors (IoD) represents around 1600 business leaders from across the county, offering them a local programme of development and networking events and a wide range of national business services which include business centre facilities, conferences, networking events, issues-led guides and literature, as well as free access to business information and advisory services and a comprehensive Information Centre. The IoD places great emphasis on director development and has established a certified qualification for directors - Chartered Director - as well as running specific board-level and director-level training and individual career mentoring programmes. It also represents the interests of its members to government and key opinion-formers at the highest levels. IoD policies and views are actively promoted to the national, regional and trade media.

The IoD was founded in 1903 and obtained a Royal Charter in 1906. It is a non-party political organisation with more than 52,000 members in the UK and overseas. Members range from CEOs of large corporations to entrepreneurial directors of start-up companies.

About the Inspire Group

The Inspire Group is a sub group of the Gatwick Diamond Initiative, a business led private/public sector partnership, formed in 2003 to make a real difference to the performance of the sub region's economy. By working collaboratively and concentrating on critical strategic issues, it has succeeded in bringing together all the key local authorities, government agencies and private sector partners, to address the needs of the economic area as a whole. The focus of the Inspire Group is to create a talented workforce that can meet the current and future needs of the area. For more information about the Gatwick Diamond and Inspire please visit www.gatwickdiamond.co.uk

About SEEDA

SEEDA, the South East England Development Agency, is the Government-funded agency responsible for the sustainable economic development of the South East of England - the driving force of the UK's economy. Through supporting businesses, encouraging innovation, developing skills and engaging with public and private partners, we aim to create a successful, sustainable future for the region.

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