Interview: Down to business
Ross Watson
Monday, February 15, 2010
Tony Bennett, chief executive, Clubs for Young People
What Tony Bennett does not yet know about youth work he makes up for in business acumen. Having been immersed for many years in the world of commerce, his speech is littered with business-speak, likening young people, for example, to "shareholders" in services that meet their needs. He is first and foremost, a businessman.
But times are tough, and youth work, statutory and voluntary, is already falling victim to local cuts. So right now someone who talks about getting the most for your "marginal dollar" might be just what the sector needs.
Bennett has been chief executive of Clubs for Young People for little more than three months, replacing Simon Antrobus, who left to become chief executive of drug treatment charity Addaction. After successfully steering his way through high-powered roles within companies such as WHSmith and Thomas Cook, he wanted to "do something with a different sense of purpose".
"A lot of the work I've done has been with companies who have been around for a hundred-plus years," says Bennett. "I try to help them position themselves for maximum relevance in the current era."
He talks about "energising (Clubs for Young People) to face up to the next three years". In fact he is already calling on all youth organisations to present a unified face to government to protect investment.
"At times you get obsessed with your own organisation, the activities and projects you've got on. Sometimes you have to take a step back and say 'is everything we're doing, as a sector, the most effective?'"
Bennett is one of those rare things, an Irish cricketer, heavily involved with Woking and Horsell Cricket Club. He also runs the West Surrey Youth Cricket League and has experience working with young people, largely through a range of sports.
But he does not profess to be well-versed in the ways of youth and consistently appears more comfortable drawing examples from his past life to make a point. "In retail what you look to do is identify what your best practice is then find ways of spreading that," he explains. "That will be a major focus going forward."
Clubs for Young People's Blueprint report, published last year, called for more open access provision and more emphasis on training. It also claimed more accessible funding and effective commissioning is required to bring the best out of the voluntary sector.
Bennett refers to the document daily to guide his thinking. But with an election looming, he says: "In terms of engaging with government, now is a time for analysis and thinking rather than a time for implementing change."
This is not to say he doesn't already have some ideas about where he wants to take the organisation. For instance, he wants to take best practice from some of the largest organisations and create a framework applicable to smaller clubs.
He is not averse to inspections for clubs either. But he says we must not just replicate the model used to inspect schools, as this creates an "artificial environment" that is "endured and survived rather than used to add genuine value".
He wants improvements in training and quality throughout the sector, but warns that any move that pushes out the unqualified volunteers would be detrimental.
And on the issue of weekend working, he agrees with the recent consensus that more research is required to ensure we are meeting young people's needs.
The final word is on voluntary youth work. Bennett slams this month's decision by Birmingham City Council to axe grant-aided funding for the voluntary sector. He believes that now, more than ever, we should be utilising the skills of the sector.
"It's well worth any local authority that has to consider looking at its budget to see what can be achieved by working more effectively with the voluntary sector," he says. "You can't work miracles without money but within the voluntary sector you can work relatively big miracles with relatively small amounts."
CV
Tony Bennett's experience
- Bennett graduated from Cambridge University in 1978, with a 2:1 in Law and History
- He began teaching history and careers in Stamford School in Lincolnshire
- He moved into the world of marketing and logistics in 1987 and by 1995 was a worldwide strategic marketing director for the Thomas Cook group
- His charity and voluntary experience includes serving as a board member for Surrey Prince's Trust and chairman of various sports clubs including Woking and Horsell Cricket Club and Send Youth Football Club