Employer Engagement Project

Employer Engagement Project

This project if fully funded by The Hearn Foundation.

Current visits by employers, though welcome, often interrupt the flow of GCSE lessons or take part in the non-academic part of the curriculum. This project looks to change that. The Employer Engagement Project integrates employer visits into specific curriculum areas, linking careers into subject content to both enrich, update, engage and make pupils understand the relevance of what they are learning in their lessons to the jobs market.

The project aims to raise pupil aspirations by exposing them to strong role models that will act as a foil to other more negative influences in their lives. The project supports teachers by linking employers’ job roles and the relevant part of the school curriculum. The aim being that the pupils will see the relevance of what is learned in the classroom to the world of work and being able to address the pupils’ cries of ‘why are we learning this’?

The project allows students the opportunity to engage with employers, learning about their journeys and asking questions directly.

The aim is to address changes in aspiration, changes in attitude to education and changes in confidence with regards to transition skills and bridge the disconnect between the pupils’ personal experience so far to being able to clearly visualise, themselves taking up such a role, shown by the employer, in the future.

For example:

How algebra is used in developing vaccines by a pharmaceutical manufacturer.

How ratios are used to mix chemicals in a hair salon.

Duration: 1 hour sessions (this project is funded by The Hearn Foundation)

Method: In Person or Virtual

Year Group(s): Year 9 to 11

Gatsby Benchmarks: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

CDI Framework: Grow, Explore, Create.

Objectives: The Employer Engagement Project:

• Is designed to dovetail into subject content to enrich, update, engage and make pupils understand the relevance of what they are learning in their lessons to the jobs market.
• Makes it easy for employers to engage with young people in a way that allows them to support the curriculum without it being onerous for busy Heads of Subjects.
• Helps schools meet the new OFSTED Framework where personal development now has a larger weighting.
• Helps schools meet Gatsby Benchmarks 2,  3, 4, 5 & 6.
• Links to the new CDI Career Development Framework skills.

Post session 98% said they understand the relevance of properties of matter and energy and how it can be used in the workplace. 

Post session 96% said they understand the relevance of algebra and how it can be used in the work place.

“I really appreciated the opportunity to demonstrate to the students, using a real practical application, how we use algebra every day when designing new products to ensure they are safe and efficient. I hope this helped them see its importance and the influence it can have on our everyday lives. It was great to feel the students positive engagement despite it being a virtual session.”

Mike Kingham, Eaton.

“The questions were of an appropriate difficulty for the pupils. One of my pupils said – “I’ll definitely be googling BOC later to find out some more.” 

Mrs Strutton – Science Teacher @ Brookfield Community School.