Finance students at East Sussex County Council
East Sussex County Council has been making good use of the services of the university's finance and accounting students, whilst offering them high quality work experience.
The county has a number of nurseries which are run by parents of the children being cared-for. Many parents take up their role on the management committee with a great deal of enthusiasm, but sometimes lack the skills to back it up, particularly in key areas such as finance and accounting. "This is where the students are so valuable" says Anita Taylor, Business Development Officer at East Sussex County Council. "The students train and support the parents in cash-flow forecasting and business planning procedures, and explain why and how to collate information."
Anita initially briefs the student volunteers on the childcare industry and its particular jargon and issues, and also on how to deal with people who are themselves volunteers. The students then play a valuable role in supporting and motivating the parents. Because the nurseries look after children aged 2–4 years the tenure for each parent is often very short, so it's necessary to ensure the parents to keep up to date with administrative tasks.
There are currently six active students working in this area. "We would be delighted for the students to keep their volunteering roles for as long as possible" says Anita "but of course there is no obligation for them to stay – some finish the end of their academic year, but others value the opportunity to stick around to see their cash flow forecasts in action and the implementation of plans they have helped to create."
