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What we’ll try and doWho I am, why I’m here, who you are and why

you’re here.• What are we doing briefly.• Some context – schools, employers, careers

service.• What are we doing in a little more detail• What others have said.

What are we doing? Developing an innovative approach to delivering a comprehensive and

integrated programme of careers education, information, advice, guidance and work related learning.

Innovative in that we are developing a response to the changing landscape of careers delivery that ........

• is sponsored by employers and is subsidised by social enterprise. • addresses some of the issues expressed by employers.• has full employer engagement yet is led by the school.

Some context - Schools

The prime responsibility for the independent and impartial careers guidance is now with schools.Why?Because schools are in the best position to determine provision.SoConnexions and Careers Services have gone.ButThe funding has not been given to schools.

There are a great many mixed messages out there!

Work experience is important but there is no longer a statutory responsibility to provide it.

Careers education has great value but schools no longer have to deliver.

Vocational education is important but its value in terms of school performance is questioned and a more ‘traditional’ curriculum is to be encouraged.

What approaches have been developed to respond to the changes?

• Activity-based approaches• Service-based approaches• Curriculum-led approaches Pearson (2012) Careers 2020

The impact of high quality careers education and guidance

• Supports progression onto FE/HE/training and work where they will achieve

• Helps reduce the number of young people at risk of becoming NEET

• Raises aspirations and levels of motivation and increased levels of achievement

• Reduces levels of drop out and course switching

Some context - Employers

What are employers saying?

Employability skills and skills gaps

A desire to be involved

There can be benefits for their businesses

The impact of employer engagement in schools

• raises aspiration levels• increases motivation• improves levels of achievement• inspires young people to achieve through bringing the curriculum to life• gives those who are disengaging a renewed sense of purpose,

recognising that they are the workforce of tomorrow• those who recall 4 or 5 employer engagement activities can be up to 5

times less likely to be NEET • Earn 16% more than those who experienced no employer activity.

Source (The Work Foundation Report – Part of Lancaster University)

Back to Us

Ahead Partnership Education Programmes

Make the Grade and Step Ahead

• Delivers a coordinated, cohesive and sustainable partnership between businesses and schools achieved through a programme of flexible and tailored activities geared towards the priorities of the school

• Provides a fully supported delivery model that includes Careers Guidance through Aspire-i.

• Ensures the networking and facilitation to make it all happen, shoulders the bureaucracy to oil the wheels and puts in place the procedures to ensure quality.

What is Make the Grade?

How does it work?• Ahead Partnership identifies partner schools • Ahead Partnership sources the business partners and finance• Together we devise and plan a programme of practical business activities

that meet specific school needs – secondary and primary- with the offer of dedicated Careers Guidance input from the Shine Service at Aspire i.

• We manage delivery of the activities – logistics/training/briefings/CRBs• We run a termly steering group for school and businesses• We track and monitor all the outcomes

Our Partners

Business SupportModel

Anchor businesses (3)

Pool businesses (15+)

Make the Grade Steering GroupSponsor/Anchor businesses/school and Ahead Education

Make the Grade Team

Scope school needsFind financial sponsorsDraw up activity programmeRecruit the businessesOn going project facilitationRun steering groupTracking and ReportingPromotion and PR

Outputs/Outcomes

Engage 20+ businessesSupport 400+ pupilsDeliver 1000+ hrs supportImprove attainmentImprove attendance Improve destinationsReduce NEET rates

Live Enterprise Challenges

Work Placements

WorkplaceVisits Governance

Industryknowledge

Mentoring

Careers Education &IAG (Shine)

Employability skills

Collaborativeprojects

Literacy &NumeracySupport

Forstaff

Apprenticeshipevents

Projectswith

universities

Support forparents

Public/Private Funding Resourcessponsor/school/businesses

Competitions

A High School Programme – The Model in Practice

Vince Barrett – President ACEG:

“ I’m impressed with the broad range of employers willingly getting involved. Here they are, talking about the jobs within the companies they represent – they’re well briefed and know what their responsibility is and it’s a very proactive approach. And it doesn’t just stop here; Make the Grade activities are imbued within the school as a whole”.

David Andrews: CEG consultant and leading national expert.

“What’s so right here is the linking of employer activity with careers guidance… It’s unfair to expect employers to offer guidance, but linking it into a school like this is admirable. I’ve never seen a model like this before. There are all sorts of problem in careers guidance now that schools have responsibility for it but there are some positive good news stories and this is one of them.

Lord Michael Heseltine – Extract from ‘No Stone Unturned. In pursuit of Growth’ – A review conducted at the request of the Prime Minister as to how economic prosperity can be improved.

Make the Grade features as part of a chapter entitled ‘Education and skills – the foundation for growth and prosperity’. Lord Heseltine concludes that ‘business engagement should be incorporated far deeper into the school curriculum in order to develop young people’s understanding of business, increase their employability, and further their understanding of career and future training options and where they might lead.’ He concludes that Ahead Partnership is ‘already facilitating this sort of engagement between schools and employers’.

Aspire-i Shine Film.wmv

For Further Information• Careers Live Conference 31st January at West

Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds• Leeds Ahead www.aheadpartnership.org.uk• Aspire-i www.aspire-i.com

A few very current references:

UKCES (2012). ‘Business and school: Building the world of work together’

UKCES (2012) ‘Skill gap Evidence Reports’

Pearson Think Tank and the International Centre for Guidance Studies (2012). ‘Careers 2020’

CBI (2012) First Steps

The Work Foundation (2012) Raising Aspirations and Smoothing Transitions

Heseltine (2012) ‘No Stone Unturned in the Pursuit of Growth’

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