BUENOS Dias! What a sparkling way to start the day and the echo somehow captures the magic of a sunny atmospheric Barcelona, which coincidentally happens to be the home town of my Spanish visitor.
Law student Valenti Sabate is with me for a month and our time together started with a thrilling conversation about Spanish writer Carlos Zafon's book 'Shadow of the Wind'.
Also with me is Matthias Feuerstein from Germany and therefore English is our common language.
I have to say these young folk from Spain and Germany plus the many others who visit bring a special energy to the English Riviera. Of course, the hundreds who make the trip also boost the economy!
Many local employers offer work placements and benefit hugely from the expertise they bring.
It has always made me a little curious as to why our young folk don't seem to head in the other direction for work experience since the placements are funded in the same way.
On Friday morning at a Cockington Court breakfast event hosted by the Torbay Development Agency, I bumped into Nadine Stroud from the Training Partnership Torquay who tells me it is indeed difficult to get our young folk to hop across the Channel.
Then Nadine told me of something I thought very exciting and wanted to share it with you.
It seems there are 20 fully-funded, 10-week work placements being offered to graduates in the south west to boost their career, gain vital European work experience and develop language skills.
Please don't let a lack of language knowledge put you off because there is a three-week preparation course in Torquay.
All you need is a very basic knowledge of French or German. How good is that? Give Nadine a ring on 01803 321210. Placements are on offer in Lyon and Bordeaux in France, and Magdeburg and Leipzig in Germany. There are also other funded opportunities for those who have not gone to university.
It seems to me sometimes we all need to step outside our comfort zone for a little while.
Let's start to make the world a smaller place.
Still thinking about the next generation you may have recently attended one of the many roadshows touring South Devon promoting the new South Devon University Technical College which is scheduled to open in 2015/16.
If you did then you will doubtless share my enthusiasm for this exciting development.
The SDUTC will be the area's first university technical college and is going to offer a whole new way of learning for up to 600 young people aged 14 to 18.
It will be built in Newton Abbot and recruit from across the region including Teignbridge, Torbay, Exeter, Plymouth and the South Hams.
The academy school will have a unique focus in engineering, water and the environment, reflecting both the natural environment in Devon and the needs of employers in these industries where there is a lack of technicians available.
It is interesting to note that locally, apprenticeship numbers in science, engineering and manufacturing are half the regional average and nationally the technician deficit is estimated to reach 450,000 by 2020!
That has to be a worry. It seems to me this exciting development is a very good thing indeed, especially so when I chat with work experience people from Germany where a greater emphasis is placed on vocational education to meet the needs of industry.
Now I have some homework for you.
Roman governors in ancient times used to symbolically wash their hands when they wished to disengage from a thorny topic. It seems to me that habit is popping up again in our Big Society and that worries me. The handing back of quite often essential services to the community is all very well if we have a structure to ensure those most in need don't slip through the gaps.
I worry that all too often the structure simply isn't there but once the service has been handed over it will take time to see whether the baby has gone out with the bath water.
As you know, if you read my words from time to time, I keep banging on about community engagement and part of that is making contact with your local councillors. This need is increasingly important it seems to me. So here are a few questions you might want to ask them.
The first one which springs to mind is about the redevelopment of Oldway Mansion. When will the new hotel open? I will not mention the 12 closed tennis courts. Oops.
The second is about community engagement at the exciting Parkfield Centre with its huge BMX track, climbing wall, skate park, sports hall and other goodies which should by now should be captivating Torbay. Have they, the councillors, engaged?
Finally, rather than overloading you, can you please get an update on the Torquay seafront balloon debt and the future of that weed-covered plot from our political leaders?
Keep the smile!
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