SOME of the town's leading movers and shakers were at West Herts College on Tuesday to take part in a networking evening.

Around 60 people, including Watford FC manager Adrian Boothroyd and Watford Mayor Dorothy Thornhill, attended the networking event held at the college's Watford campus.

The evening was an opportunity for local businesses and professionals to network, attend quick-dip master classes, explore career progression and enrol on professional part-time courses starting this autumn.

The message during the evening was clear -professional skills turn business potential into great opportunities.

West Herts College is aiming to be at the heart of the business community and highlight how the college can provide innovative training and nationally recognised professional qualifications.

During the networking event everyone had the opportunity to take part in four master classes in effective leadership led by Jennifer Rodriguez from Roundtable Consulting; how to succeed in that dream job by Stephen Harvard Davies the author of "who 40 per cent of executives fail"; motivation with Adrian Boothroyd, manager of Watford Football Club; and equality and diversity with Trevor Gordon, professional trainer and management consultant.

In addition, guests heard from Dorothy Thornhill, Mayor of Watford, who spoke about the importance of education and training, as well as Nigel Duncan, director of curriculum development at West Herts College, who discussed opportunities within part-time professional study.

Elizabeth Rushton, West Herts College principal and chief executive, said: "The night was a great success and really highlighted how important this college is to the local business community.

"West Herts College offers a wide variety of professional courses to people wanting to progress within their career, in addition to providing bespoke training for companies.

"Our speakers were inspirational and I believe those who attended the networking event found the evening truly rewarding.

"Our links with businesses continues to grow, which can only be to the benefit of our students."