Students from, Baxter College, North Bromsgrove High and RSA Arrowvale quizzed a panel of business people including Tina Lusty (adi Group Secretary) in a discussion about good business practices as part of Responsible Business Week.

Students devised a series of questions beforehand which they then put to the panel, which included representatives from Lloyds Banking, adi Group, The Community Housing Association and Worcestershire LEP and was supported by Phoebe Dawson from Worcestershire Business Central, who chaired the proceedings and Mitch Bown from Elior (Business Class members) at the event organised by Business in the Community (BITC).

The discussion which was hosted by Baxter College was designed to provide students with examples of responsible business practices and the importance of better workplaces and thriving communities. As well as helping inspire the students to become responsible business people and support their wider learning.

Invited were members of BITC’s Worcestershire Business Class Cluster, a group of schools and businesses who work together to ensure that young people attending local schools achieve their best possible outcomes and leave ready to build successful working lives.

Through BITC’s Business Class programme, adi Group has established a partnership with North Bromsgrove High School.  Tina Lusty said:

It was great to be part of today’s discussion, even if it meant answering some tough questions! The students showed real understanding and interest in responsible business and I think its future will be in safe hands with them.

The questions covered issues such as How do you ensure a gender, ethnic and ability balance within your business?, How would the EU affect your company? and How does your business make sure it’s sustainable?

Feedback from the students in attendance at the event was very positive with Baxter College students commenting:

It was interesting hearing about how the different businesses are trying to be more responsible. We have been studying corporate social responsibility as part of our Business Studies course so it was really useful to hear some local examples.

Responsible Business Week is a national event where businesses and organisations share and discuss the many ways that they can work together to build a fairer society and a more sustainable future.