Employer Engagement ‘Engaging Employers in Enterprise’

What is Employer Engagement? There is no single clear definition of what it means or what it involves, however, it encompasses work related learning, which must not simply be confused with work experience, which is just one element. Most importantly, building and sustaining successful partnerships with employers.

What is Employer Engagement? The National Council for Educational Excellence Recommendations2008: A new National Framework for business education partnership so that by 2010, every primary school, secondary school and college should have an effective relationship with business. Schools and colleges should identify a member of the leadership team to be responsible for creating, managing and developing relationships with business. Business support should be mobilised to deliver all the areas of the National Framework in every school, with particular focus on schools in the National Challenge. Good practice in partnerships between education and business should be identified, promoted and celebrated. Universal access to high quality education business brokerage. [Source DCSF –Employer Partnership Division]

How to implement effective Employer Engagement? Evaluate your institution’s strategies to engage employers and further develop vocational links across the curriculum.

How to implement effective Employer Engagement? Define the vision Set objectives and outcomes Evaluate current status Identify key challenges Innovate solutions and choose best options Plan implementation Review and monitor versus objectives and outcomes

How to implement effective Employer Engagement? Effective delivery will require an institution to: Mandate roles and responsibilities to those parties involved Allocate resources based on roles and outcomes set Ensure all parties involved are accountable for delivery Join up behaviours and processes in implementation

Where do you start? Ask all staff for their contacts; who they know Create a database Every supplier or service provider is a contact Use one member of staff as a point of contact for employers

Employers – What do they want? Employers often have a corporate social responsibility [CSR] target to meet. Employers are interested in developing their own staff through mentoring schemes. Employers are also interested in working with the community. Employers are not interested in a ‘one-off’ relationship. However, if a rapport is developed they will maintain contact.

How can you engage employers? E-mentoring Mentoring Local Advisory Board HE Progression and Careers conference Industry visits Internship providers Work shadowing / work experience Speakers or Guru Lecturers

How can you engage employers? Invite employers to your institution’s events Host networking events for the employers Give employers the opportunity to advertise via your website or institution’s newsletter etc Let employers know that you appreciate them

What we did Hosted a networking event for employers at Clifford Chance to launch our Enterprise Graduate Programme franchise of Career Academies Employers signed up to be the following: Guru lecturers, partners in business, internship providers as well as offering industry visits

What we did Hosted a networking event for employers at Channel 4 for the launch of the Creative and Media Diploma Employers signed up to be the following: guru lecturers, e-mentors and offered industry visits.

What we did Hosted an Enterprise Day for the SELELP where we invited employers to exhibit and also had a few employers on the panel of judges, including a ‘Secret Millionaire’ We then promoted their involvement to our press contacts, providing them with publicity opportunities

What we did

Employers include Channel 4 Sainsbury HSBC Historic Royal Palaces Morgan Forbes Outer Temple Chambers Morgan Stanley South London Gallery Greenwich Theatre Allen Rowe Associates Russell Associates SEO Crane Office Supplies Circle Podiatry

Outcomes to date We have established a database of employers And have created an Employer Engagement micro-site In our May 2010 Ofsted inspection Employer Engagement received a 1 (“outstanding”)

Opportunity At the networking lunch you will have the opportunity to meet some of the employers we currently work with.