Sadie Gilbert chats with minister Tim Johnston and Ann Corlett at the Isle of Man graduate fair 2025
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00:00My name is Tim Johnston and I'm the Minister for Enterprise.
00:03And then why do you think it's important for the Department of Enterprise to support events such as the Graduation Fair and Jeff Mongu's 30 Under 30?
00:12I think it's really important we get the message out that the Isle of Man is an exciting place to be.
00:16We want to showcase what great opportunities and great career and job opportunities there are here.
00:21I think it's great that a lot of young people are not quite sure what they want to do in life,
00:25but actually coming along to this sort of event gives them an opportunity to see what opportunities are out there.
00:30I think about 55 businesses here today, all sorts of different range, public and private sector.
00:35So opportunities for young graduates to think about their careers on the Isle of Man,
00:40maybe people in sixth form looking ahead, thinking about what they want to do.
00:44And so I think it's a great opportunity to do that.
00:46What's one piece of advice that you would give them when they're at the start of their career or deciding what path they want to go on?
00:51Yeah, that's a good question.
00:53I think we all know the job market's changed very much now.
00:56So the days have gone or are more limited about having a job for life.
01:00I think that we all expect that careers change, people do different things.
01:04What I would say to people is, first of all, you've got to do something you want to enjoy.
01:07It's really important. You've got to enjoy your life.
01:10What you put in, you get out.
01:12So make sure you choose things that you're going to enjoy.
01:16Work hard. Do your best.
01:18That's all anyone can ask you to do because that gives you choices in life.
01:22And then you've got more choice, more opportunities for whatever you want to do.
01:27Is there any opportunities anyone should be looking out for with the Department for Enterprise?
01:31Look, you know, we do recruit, absolutely.
01:32As I say, we're always looking for people coming into the department at various times.
01:36So always keep an eye on the government jobs portal to see what opportunities there are in government.
01:40There's some really exciting roles in government, right across government as well.
01:43And I know we're here as well today, showing what government can do in all different areas.
01:49So, you know, absolutely great opportunities.
01:51My name's Anne Collett and I'm MHK for Douglas Central.
01:55I am a political member in the Department of Enterprise.
01:59And I have responsibility for Locate.
02:01And digital, actually.
02:02It sounds like you've got a lot on your plate.
02:04Oh, yeah.
02:05It's great, though.
02:06This is the best job ever.
02:07Yeah.
02:08So what is one thing, it could be day-to-day or it could just be one thing that happens every so often,
02:13that you really enjoy about doing your job or one of the jobs?
02:16Oh, look, you know what?
02:17It is a big job.
02:19And I kind of, when I came into this, I knew I couldn't change the world.
02:24But do you know what?
02:25I felt I could change somebody's world.
02:27And it is the little things that are actually really important in this job, you know,
02:31because the big things are frustrating.
02:34Yeah.
02:35But anything you can do to help another person is a reward.
02:38A hundred percent.
02:39And then obviously today, with it being the graduation fair,
02:42why do you think, obviously, events like this are so important for the young people who live on the Isle of Man?
02:48Well, events like this showcase what the possibilities are, what the opportunities are, the career paths.
02:54And that's, you know, from a young person's point of view.
02:58And from a business point of view, it enables them to showcase what's on offer.
03:02So this is the opportunity to bring those two things together.
03:05There's been an issue with not many young people coming back to the island when they go off, say, study,
03:09or people just move away for different jobs.
03:11So do you think, you know, hosting stuff like this and bringing everyone all together and showcasing what the island's got,
03:17do you think or do you hope that that will help that?
03:20I think it definitely does help it.
03:22And just talking to some of the students, some of the young people downstairs and the business owners,
03:28there's a lot more students come through today than graduates.
03:33And I think that's really positive because it's highlighting the other pathways that you can take.
03:40You know, if you don't want to go to university or you want to choose another option, it highlights those possibilities.
03:47And there are some great career paths and some really, really wonderful things that, you know, come to light when you go looking downstairs.
03:56You know what? It's not wrong to try something and decide that's not what you want.
04:01Actually, try it. That's the way to find out your ideal job.
04:07I only find out my ideal job when I got elected.
04:10So, you know, it takes a long time sometimes.
04:12And here you are.
04:13Thank you very much.
04:15Thank you very much.