Businesses and schools invited to Careers & Enterprise Company event

Progress on connecting Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire school children with the world of work is being celebrated at an event at Yarnfield Park Conference Centre, near Stone, on March 26.

And local businesses and schools are invited to come along to find out how they can help prepare and inspire the workforce of the future.

Following the launch of the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire in 2017, the One Year On event will share the successes of the past year.

Bringing together local schools, businesses and organisations, the event, which runs from 9.30am to 3pm, including lunch, will showcase the projects developed so far and their impact on local education and employment.There will be speakers from the Careers and Enterprise Company and Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, and presentations from the businesses, schools and students involved so far.

Click here to register to attend this free event: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/enterprise-coordinator-15637078660

A number of schools across the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire LEP area are working with the Careers and Enterprise Company or Education Trust Locality Project.  The schools working with the Careers and Enterprise Company are matched to an Enterprise Adviser, a volunteer from business who works with the school, along with the Enterprise Coordinator to support the implementation of an all-school careers programme.  The programme meets the career guidance Gatsby Benchmarks and Department for Education statutory guidance and is aligned to the LEP’s aims of creating more and better jobs in key sectors of the local economy such as advanced manufacturing and engineering. The aim is to raise students’ aspirations, prepare them for the world of work and reduce the skills gap.

There are currently 37 Enterprise Advisers for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent from a variety of sectors.  They have supported the schools in the planning of their careers programme and delivery of activities for students.  They have also supported with mentoring, mock interview days, workshops to support students in decision-making for GSCE options, enterprise competitions, planning their career pathways, self-awareness and employability sessions, and lots more.

Research shows that young people who have four or more encounters with the world of work while in education are 86% less likely to be NEET – not in education, employment or training – and on average will go on to earn more than their peers who did not have such opportunities.

Any schools and employers interested in getting involved in the scheme in Stoke-on-Trent can contact Ian Picken Ian.Picken@stoke.gov.uk and in Staffordshire they can contact Carrie Abbott Carrie.Abbott2@stoke.gov.uk