On Monday next week M&C Saatchi, one of the world’s leading
communications companies will start their two week work training
programme in Folkestone. Twelve young people, aged between 18 and 24,
including residents from Folkestone, Hythe, Romney Marsh and the North
Downs, will be able to participate in the kind of experience that
people have only previously been able to be part of in central London.
This project will be based in the former Triennial Visitors Centre on
the corner of the Old High Street and Tontine Street. There are some
events that are part of the programme which are open to anyone who
would like to come along. Information about these events will be
available at the project base, so do call in if that would be of
interest to you. You can also find out more about the project online
at www.mcsaatchilab.co.uk
I am delighted that M&C Saatchi accepted our invitation to lead this
project in Folkestone. It is the first time that they, or indeed any,
leading British advertising agency has run a work experience project
like this before. However it would not have been possible without the
support of Alastair Upton the Chief Executive of the Folkestone based
Creative Foundation who has given for free the use of the space to run
the project, and a number of other local organisations who have been
actively involved in supporting it. In particular I would like to
thank Academy FM, Church and Dwight, Created, Folkestone Film Factory,
Holiday Extras, K College, KM Group, Sainsbury's, Saga, Screen South and Tesco.
I hope that this project will inspire local young people to think
about working in the creative industries and also give them some
useful contacts and ideas about how they could do this within our
area. The creative industries are an important source of growth in our
economy and they are performing more strongly even in these difficult
economic times, than many other sectors. We can see part of that
success in the young businesses which are growing and developing in
the Old Town area of Folkestone in particular. I believe these
creative businesses can be an important part of the future prosperity
of our area, and that Folkestone and Shepway could be recognised
alongside other centres like Brighton and Tunbridge Wells, as an
important hub for these businesses outside of London. Kent County
Council will also shortly be launching a new marketing campaign to
promote business investment in Shepway and the other East Kent
districts. This campaign will focus on the creative industries as one
of the important growth areas of our local economy, and also seek to
encourage more local businesses and people looking to invest in the
area to apply for financial support from the Regional Growth Fund.
Finally, having M&C Saatchi in town, and just a couple of months since
Google ran their business advice sessions from the same building in
Folkestone, shows that major international companies are interested in
what we have to say and offer. It will I hope also help create a bit
of a buzz.