LINKING LONDON STUDENT EMPLOYABILITY EVENT AN FE PERSPECTIVE Barking and Dagenham College

Key Facts about Barking and Dagenham College’s Employability Strategy BDC is one of only 20 Gazelle Colleges in the UK. Barking and Dagenham College (BDC) operates in an area which is the seventh highest nationally in this index of deprivation. BDC is a college for all age groups - with 12,000 students (of which around 3,500 are age 16 – 18) - offering hundreds of courses across a wide range of subject areas. BDC offers courses from beginners to degree level, including a post-graduate Master of Business Administration. Ofsted April 2013 said: “Excellence in Innovation and Entrepreneurship”; “Outstanding Leadership and Management of the Student Experience”; Home of the Association of Colleges’ Student of the Year 2013: Vicky Knight, Health & Social Care student

Real work training environments help students develop employability skills. Specialist off-campus training centres mean students train in a real-work environment Motor Vehicle & Motorsport Training Centre The Broadway Theatre Barking Learning Centre offering employability courses for adults National award-winners in the TES Further Education Awards 2014: Outstanding support for students 2014: Highly commended – Provider of the Year 2012: Outstanding e-learning team 2011: Outstanding entrepreneurship in learning and skills

Gazelle Colleges Gazelle Entrepreneurial Colleges aim to prepare students for the challenges of 21st century employment by offering new models of learning based on real business contexts and challenging work experiences, that will equip students with the skills to be creative, confident and resilient in the workplace.

Redefining Employability Employability is no longer just about accumulating the skills and qualifications to be employed in jobs created by others. Employability is about developing the T-shaped skills that make students work ready for all types of work environments. Entrepreneurship is about the student’s ability to create new solutions and benefits through their own imagination and ambition to make things happen through their interpersonal skills and personal drive. It is a mind-set and a way of acting in the world rather than a set of defined skills. Entrepreneurial capabilities and behaviours are learned through planned and reflective business experiences. Future: Rather than being enrolled onto particular courses, students could/will be recruited as paid partners in a Gazelle Learning Company through a Learning Contract.

T-Shaped People BDC provides a contract for entrepreneurial learning through real work   The combination of technical expertise on a chosen field together with the wider capabilities of creativity, team-working enterprise and other personal qualities is captured by the idea of T-shaped people. Ofsted criteria for judging teaching, learning & assessment - 7 pillars of success Hand out copies of the Ofsted Teaching, Learning & Assessment section As Governors, you would expect to see areas for improvement and strengths of sessions along similar lines outlined in Teaching Observation Feedback reports

Entrepreneurial Pod The Pod is an entrepreneurial zone based within the College designed to help students and members of the local community to develop their entrepreneurial business and employability skills through action. Ofsted criteria for judging teaching, learning & assessment - 7 pillars of success Hand out copies of the Ofsted Teaching, Learning & Assessment section As Governors, you would expect to see areas for improvement and strengths of sessions along similar lines outlined in Teaching Observation Feedback reports

Components of the POD Learning Companies BDC Learning Companies are identifiable accounting divisions of BDC holding company – Aspire, limited by guarantee, with a charitable aim of advancing education. They operate as normal commercial entities to provide authentic working environments i.e. motor vehicle garage, construction service, design academy and Citizen’s Advice Bureau. Comprehensive working practices learned in one context will be directly transferable into other commercial contexts. These students will be work ready, have contributed to a real commercial venture, be able to demonstrate a level of business ‘nous’ that will be valuable to future employers. Attendance & retention Progression rates/destinations Employability/real work embedding E&D embedding evidence from lesson observations Learning walks Lesson observations – formal/informal – evidence from informal intelligence Developmental evidence

Components of the POD (Continued) Students are exposed to a framework of entrepreneurial capabilities: Self-Efficacy – Personal qualities needed for success in new world of work e.g. focus and drive, reliability, reflectiveness Social Skills – capabilities to fund, make and manage networks and collaborations e.g. team working, networking, communication, customer service. Functional Skill – Knowledge and abilities in particular business or technical areas, e.g. technical competence, technical knowledge and e-confidence. Enterprise – Understanding and aptitudes for driving successful enterprises, e.g. commercial nous, creativity, problem solving, risk-taking. Attendance & retention Progression rates/destinations Employability/real work embedding E&D embedding evidence from lesson observations Learning walks Lesson observations – formal/informal – evidence from informal intelligence Developmental evidence

Components of the POD (Continued) Entrepreneurial Programme Provides a range of course seminars and workshops that give students a taste of what is needed to start a small business, to be entrepreneurial and become work ready. Compulsory entrepreneurial skills tutorials. Talent Bank Comprised of current and past students who complete work for external and internal clients. Real work for students process. Launcher Doug Richard’s School of Start-ups provides low interest loans to get small businesses off the ground, e.g. beauty, hair, multi-media, clothing, fitness, e-commerce and fashion. Competitions Students take part in a range of competitions e.g. Pants for Poverty, Market Marker, Edge, EMSI (App). Working on these real business challenges provides hands-on business experience in: Business planning, marketing and sales strategy, team building, idea generation, product design, website, youtube videos, pitching to experts.

Shop Outlets As result of the successful Dragon’s Den pitches, the following building outlets providing students with business start-ups are operating: Bits and Bobs – stationery Pop Pics – photography 2 Fix Solutions – IT sales and servicing Blooming Delicious – Floristry Real-Work Training Environments Commercial Restaurants Beauty and Hair Salons BDC Sports Centre

Employer Partnerships BDC has got working and on-going relationships with organisations and companies to assist our student’s employment prospects.  We have a working partnership with the Estee Lauder Group, where we recommend our best Hair and Beauty students for retail beauty jobs.  BDC host Interview workshops where students have the opportunity to have a speed-dating experience with employers such as Siemens, Metro Bank, Bouygues, Balfour Beatty, MACE and Skanska. BDC also run a programme giving students the opportunity to practice their interview and presentation skills.  Giving competence based feedback and advice on how to present to an audience, a panel and give a power-point presentation, as well as CV advice.

Employability Qualifications Offered by BDC Edexcel Level 1 Employability This course will help learners move towards and into employment via the development of essential employability skills. Progression to Level 2 NCFE Level 2 Employability This course is designed to enhance employability skills for a variety of learners, including individuals looking for a career change and under-16s in compulsory education. Progression to Level 3