Improving Careers Education with the Help of an Enterprise Advisor
Background
The positive changing landscape of careers with the introduction of the Gatsby Benchmarks has meant that careers can no longer be viewed as an add on in schools, often contracted out to external providers with the schools taking little interest in outcomes. School leaders now have the responsibility to ensure that the students have an outstanding careers programme in their schools. This can be a daunting task, especially as a significant number of teachers have little experience in the world of work outside the classroom, thus being unprepared to provide valuable careers advice. The Enterprise Advisors Network has provided a lifeline to educational establishments, linking employers in the local area with schools. In every conversation that is had with employers about what they want from future employees’ experience and an understanding of the world of work is top of their requirements, even above exam results. Yet it is often hard for schools to get students out on workplace visits and encounters, as there seems to be so much red tape, causing frustration and is time consuming.
The Benefits of Having an Enterprise Advisor to Your Careers Education
Once a school has an Enterprise Advisor, links with local businesses become easier, the Advisor is already part of a larger network of local businesses that often come together for meetings. Once schools have established a good working relationship with their Advisor they then have an open door to the links with the other businesses. Attending local business breakfast meetings can offer understanding and knowledge of the world of work outside of a school and can prove invaluable to the school’s careers programme.
A good example of this is building up links with other businesses so that school teachers and leaders, as part of their inset programme, can spend a day (or half a day if time is limited) going out into the workplace and seeing what the 21st century world of work is like. This enables them to then bring what they have seen back to the classroom using their own knowledge.
Other Ways to Use an Enterprise Advisor in Schools
- Rebranding your careers programme using the Brand Manager from a company to come and discuss with the students what the thinking is behind a name. the students can then put the ideas into sessions in the classroom and see their designs come to life.
- Use the Employer as a venue to hold a business breakfast, inviting other businesses and educational establishments to build a network which is valuable to all young people in the local area.
- Get the Advisor to come into schools and give assemblies and workshops, making the world of work very real to the students.
This article was written by Clare Blackman, Assistant Principal at Astor College
