Kath Wright

Bringing employers into schools: what works

The best way to increase employers’ engagement is to have them take a financial stake in the success of the system.

Vocational education in England needs to be reformed so that it is held in higher esteem by employers and young people alike.

Apprenticeships should be seen by students and employers as a high-quality vocational route into work for young people.

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) report (August 2014)

careers education and guidance play a crucial role in ensuring a smooth transition from education to work. Our recommendations focus on embedding and resourcing careers advice in schools, particularly at key milestone moments when young people make vital decisions about their future.

The IPPR Recommendations include requiring all secondary schools to have a full- time careers officer responsible for both careers education, as well as improving links with local employers. The IPPR also says careers guidance should be provided by specialist advisers, not teachers.

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) report (August 2014)

Recommendation 1 The Government should establish an Employer-led Advisory Board reporting directly to relevant ministers

comprising senior representatives from employers, education and the career development profession.  Such a body would advise on careers provision, guide the work of the National Careers Service and ensure value for money

  Recommendation 2 The Government should provide schools and colleges with free and/or subsidised access to independent and

impartial career development professionals’ expertise. This would help in the transition phase to support schools and colleges to meet their new statutory duties

Recommendation 3 The National Careers Service should, as a matter of high priority, improve its website to make it attractive and

appealing to young people, parents and teachers.

Recommendation 4 The Government should support the scaling up of existing and successful initiatives and the piloting of innovative

local models.  This would be best achieved by establishing a careers investment fund administered by the DfE which would ensure a good service nation-wide, though delivered in different and locally-relevant ways,  by a range of organisations

National Career Council

Businesses recognise the need to support schoolsRaising the performance of our schools (top priorities)

85% literacy and numeracy in primary schools62% literacy and numeracy in 11-14 year olds52% develop awareness of working life for 14-19 year olds65% value foreign language skills

• Careers advice: not yet fit for purpose• Developing the right skills in graduates• Businesses and universities: partnering for growth

Gateway to growth – CBI/Pearson Skills survey 2014

Ofsted comments linked to employersThe information students receive is too narrowSchools did not work well enough with employers – especially

with direct experience of the world of workLinks between careers guidance and local employment

opportunities was weakLinks with employers were the weakest aspect of careers

guidance in all of the schools inspected

Ofsted – going in the right direction?

Employer networks were not taking enough initiative in making links with schools. Very few of the schools visited had local or national employers on their governing body

Very few students had sufficient exposure to the wide range of career pathways available to them and they were largely unaware of local and national developments or local or national skill shortages

Ofsted – going in the right direction?

In your groups or pairsIdentify where employer engagement takes place in your

establishmentDiscuss what are the pros and cons of when employer

engagement takes place

Are there common issues?

Share with the room

Curriculum planning

Monitoring, evaluating & improving

Informing pupils & parents about support

The National Career Service

https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/youngpeople/Pages/Youngpeople.aspx

Inspirational advice &guidance for all pupils

Setting clear goalsNeeds &interventionsMaking links with

employers

Careers guidance & inspiration in schools and colleges

The framework has a part to play in:Raising aspirationsRaising achievement especially for socially disadvantaged

children and young peopleEnsuring progression and sustainable destinationsEngaging learners and NEET reduction

Links to the CDI/ACEG framework

Developing your career management and employability skills

• Making the most of careers IAG• Preparing for employability• Showing initiative and enterprise• Developing financial capability• Identifying choices and opportunities• Planning and deciding• Handling applications and selection• Managing changes and transitions

Self-development through C&WRE• Self-awareness• Self-determination• Self-improvement as a learner

Finding out about careers and the world of work

• Exploring careers and career development• Investigating work and working life• Understanding business and industry• Investigating jobs and labour market

information (LMI)• Valuing equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI)• Learning about safe working practices and

environments

Areas and elements of learning

There are different ways of presenting the 17 elements, colour coding is one, in the framework they are numbered 1-17.

Provide an enriched curriculum which brings learning to life, improves and raises standards, and enables professional development for teachers and employees, are among the many and mutual benefits of collaboration between schools, businesses and the wider community.

The aim of the guide is to encourage practitioners to create and implement their own vision for effective employer engagement, resulting in tangible benefits for individual learners.

Employer engagement – what can it do?

enriching the curriculum to improve motivation and raise standards

professional development of teachers institutional development mutual benefits from collaboration between schools,

business and the wider community

The rationale for partnership working with employers

• to raise standards of achievement of students• to develop the employability skills of young people• to provide young people with the opportunity to ‘learn by doing’ and to learn from experts• to increase the commitment to learning, motivation and self-confidence of students• to improve the retention of young people in learning after the age of compulsory schooling

Aims of curriculum partnerships with employers are:

•to enable young people to develop career awareness and the ability to benefit from impartial and informed information andguidanceto support young people’s ability to apply subject knowledge,

understanding and skills• to improve young people’s understanding of the economy, enterprise, personal finance and the structure of business organisations and how they work• to encourage positive attitudes to lifelong learning.

Aims of curriculum partnerships with employers cont:

Personal contributionA better prepared workforceRecruitment and retentionTraining – own staffInnovation and business growthFacilities and resourcesKnowledgeCorporate social responsibility

Benefits for employers

Helping to bring the curriculum to life through showing how subjects are applied and valued in the workplace

Providing access to rich and varied learning environmentsContributing to their professional developmentIncreasing own job satisfaction

What are the benefits for teachers?

Enhances academic learning across the curriculum Encourages students to be active learnersImproves motivation Stretches and challenges most ableDevelop a wide range of social and personal skillsSupports the acquisition of business and economic awarenessHelps them to become more informed and critical consumers

of financial services and to manage their finances effectively Encourages career exploration and career management skills

Impact on learning

Successful employer engagement should be based on the followingfour ‘R’s’

Recruitment Relationship Retention

Recognition

Developing employer engagement

There are a number of tactics deployed to identify and recruit interested employers including:Direct mail shots and emails to individualsTelephone calls to new businessesFace to face contact, presentations and meetingsRecruitment events, seminars, workshopsReferrals by already engaged employers through existing local

business networks: voluntary sector, FSB, Chamber of CommerceSchools and colleges will engage with employers through a number

of ways including links with Governors, organisations where parents are employed

Recruitment

In Pairs or on your table ….

Using the different ‘interventions’ from the statutory guidance with the ‘benefits’ and four step process from the CDI guide, plan the employer engagement process for the listed activity.

You may wish to add the learning outcomes from the ACEG/CDI frameworkFeedback to whole group

Using the pack

CDI bookEmployer engagement questionnaireEmployer engagement auditNEET preventing strategiesCase studies template

Supporting materials

www.allaboutcareers.comwww.bestcourse4me.comwww.educationandemployers.orgwww.futuresfirst.comwww.icould.comwww.ucasprogress.com

websites

Careers guidance and inspiration in schools, non statutory departmental advice for governing bodies, school leaders and school staff –April 2014. (DfE-00366-2014)

Careers guidance and inspiration – guidance for general further education colleges and sixth form colleges – August 2014. (DFE-00554-2014)

Good practice in involving employers in work-related education & training 2010 Subsidiary guidance – supporting the inspection of maintained schools & academies. Jan 2014 Governors Handbook – September 2014 Good career guidance – Gatsby report Gateway to growth – CBI/Pearson education and skills survey 2014 Building on progress: boosting diversity in or workplaces – CBI Future possible: the business vision for giving young people the chance they deserve – CBI Enterprise for all – the relevance of enterprise in education – Lord Young The roles of employers and career professional in providing career support to young people in

schools and colleges – Careers Sector Stakeholder Alliance Careers England – various briefing papers. National Careers Council: Taking Action: Achieving a cultural change in careers provision

National documents

Wordles – the answersWordles.docx