BUSINESS leaders from all sectors must work together to ensure the future prosperity of Poole.

That was the message from Poole’s State of the Area debate, attended by around 100 people and businesses.

The speakers were Geoffrey Smith, Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership Board member, chairman of the Employment and Skills Board and general manager of Rockley Park; Lawrence Vincent, DLEP board member and principal of Bournemouth and Poole College and James Magowan, director of strategy for national charity Tomorrow’s People.

Poole Mayor, Cllr Philip Eades, said: “It was great to see so many local businesses taking the opportunity to come along and share their views on this important topic.

“By working together we can make a difference to the future of Poole and I would like to thank everyone who took part.”

The event included an Any Questions-style debate chaired by Richard Dimbleby, chairman of Poole Local Strategic Partner-ship. Discussions centred around how businesses and the public sector can work together to ensure skills in Poole meet the needs of business and support sustained economic growth.

Cllr Elaine Atkinson, leader of Borough of Poole, said: “This proved to be an excellent opportunity to connect with businesses and local education providers to explore how we can work together.

“A lot of the points made were very similar to the feedback from the Young People’s State of the Area Debate and it is vital we invest in developing the skills of our young people to ensure the future prosperity of Poole.”

Cllr Mike Brooke, leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, Borough of Poole, said: “The future of our town very much depends on businesses, schools and the public sector working together to ensure we continue to develop the skills that contribute to prosperity.

“More emphasis needs to be placed on developing skills surrounding our green economy while young people are still at school and we also need to ensure work experience is a valuable learning experience.”