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We hear from Gerarde Manley, Careers Hub Manager, LLEP about the impact businesses have when engaging with education, and the vital role the Careers Hub plays.Ìý

We seem to start many of our conversations with ‘in these unprecedentedÌýtimes’Ìýand careers education is no exception.ÌýÌýInÌýLeicester andÌýLeicestershire,ÌýweÌýhave increasingly seen the LEP’s role as a convening partnerÌýin the sectorÌýbringingÌýtogetherÌýour local stakeholders, education providersÌýandÌýÌýºÚÁϳԹÏÍøÌýAdvisersÌý(EAs)Ìýto supportÌýCareers Leaders inÌýschools and collegesÌýas they adaptÌýand flex their careers programmes to keep careers on theÌýagendaÌýand in the recovery curriculum.Ìý

Future MeÌý

So,Ìýhow has this approach we now take to careers education changed this for the better?ÌýPerhaps the most obvious is leveraging technology which presentsÌýusÌýnowÌýwith a more widely accepted vehicleÌýfor creatingÌývirtualÌýencounters with employers.Ìý We’ve seen success in this throughÌý‘Future Me’ÌýaÌýprogrammeÌýdelivered with local partners and employersÌýoffering a range of opportunities for young people toÌýengageÌýdirectly with employersÌýthrough video conferencing.ÌýÌýÌý

Future MeÌýshows the positive impact two-way interactions with local employers can stimulate conversation about career pathways, the personal journey of the employeeÌýand the value young people place on their honestyÌýand authenticity.Ìý It alsoÌýcreatesÌýthat space to talk about employability skills, resilience andÌýshareÌýbusiness insights.ÌýÌý

Whilst these new ways of working do present inevitable challenges – time available for careers andÌýCareers Leaders, theÌýstability of certain sectorsÌýand theÌýscale ofÌýexperiences of the workplace, we’ve seenÌýthrough the Careers Hub superbÌýinnovationÌýlikeÌý,ÌýmoreÌýcollaborativeÌýways ofÌýworking and a coherent local message aboutÌýhow we can still inspire young people and prepare them for the world of work.Ìý

BusinessesÌýengaging with Education

Many local businessesÌýunderstand the importance ofÌýengagementÌýwith careers educationÌýinÌýtheir own organisationsÌýandÌýso this is not one-way traffic into the classroom.Ìý As we moveÌýthroughÌýanalysing the economic shock towards creating short-term recovery plans into developing ourÌýlong-termÌýeconomic recovery strategy it is clear thatÌýtheÌýskillsÌýagendaÌýsits at the heart of this.ÌýÌýÌý

The Careers Hub and the EAN is intrinsic to economic recoveryÌýincludingÌýdeveloping the talent pipeline forÌýhigh technology locally importantÌýsectorsÌýincludingÌýSpace, Low Carbon and Advanced Manufacturing.ÌýÌýWe find ourselves heavilyÌýinvestingÌýtime and resources into developing our World of Work suite of resourcesÌýto get these messages into the classroom.Ìý But the interesting shift here isÌýthatÌýthis is what schools are also asking us for.Ìý Careers Leaders in Schools coming to the LEP Careers Hubs for LMI is certainly a powerful combination which will undoubtedly impact on young people’s viewsÌýof the local employment and skills landscape.Ìý

WithoutÌýour young people with the right skills, the right careers adviceÌýand employabilityÌýskillsÌýweÌýmayÌýnever truly recover.Ìý

Impact

So,Ìýwhat does this look like in terms of impact?Ìý The Hub is a stable community of practice and remains fully engaged through COVID.Ìý We’ve seen significant progress againstÌýthe majority of Gatsby benchmarks withÌýaÌý15% increase alone on Benchmark 1 (A Stable Careers Programme) and over 75% of Hub schools fully meeting Benchmark 6 (Encounters with ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø and Employees).Ìý

Through strategic careers planning withÌýschoolsÌýthey can understand the needÌýfor local LMIÌýthatÌýthey can use inÌýthe classroom,ÌýengageÌýforums for peer-to-peer networking and more recently virtual marketplaces for them to talk directly to other Post 16 providers,Ìýaligning their transition plans for the best positive destination for their young people.Ìý

The Careers Hub is hard-wired into our recovery plans and Local Industrial Strategy.Ìý Our Lead Careers Hub School sits on our Skills Advisory Panel and the CEC National Headteachers Advisory Group along with an ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Adviser.Ìý We have an ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Adviser and Cornerstone Employer on our LEP’sÌýMainÌýBoard and our Skills Team worksÌýhand in hand with our EAN team.Ìý We believe thisÌýlevel of connectivity is critical in ensuring a fully integrated approach to playingÌýout the key messages to local employers and Careers Leaders on the critical role of the Careers Hub.Ìý

One could argue that withoutÌýaÌýCareers HubÌýwith a clear visionÌýtheÌýlocal cohesiveness between careers education and the business community would remain fragmented.ÌýÌýFrom the inception of the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Adviser Network in 2015 as the ‘new kid on the block’ we are now fully integrated into the local careers landscape.ÌýÌýWithout the partnershipsÌýfacilitated through the Hub’s Governance GroupÌýthere would be a worsening mismatch of skills supply and demand and we would certainly not be doing the best by our young people, Careers Leaders, schools or the business community.Ìý