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Worcestershire Employment & Skills Strategy: Connecting Business with Education

Explore how the Worcestershire Employment & Skills Strategy aims to enhance workforce development by bridging the gap between businesses and education institutions in Redditch. The strategy focuses on increasing apprenticeships, improving talent management, and enhancing employability, with key targets set for apprenticeship creation, leadership qualifications, school work experience places, and reducing youth unemployment. Businesses have highlighted challenges such as the readiness of students for the job market, lack of school-business engagement, and the need for a curriculum that aligns with real-world demands. The strategy envisions a streamlined work experience program, school-business partnerships, a new careers guidance framework, and increased business representation in schools. Moving forward, focus is on developing business cases for strategy approval, enhancing investment and support through WASH, and addressing challenges around employer engagement, expectations from high schools, and potential partnership offerings.

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Worcestershire Employment & Skills Strategy: Connecting Business with Education

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  1. Investing in Worcestershire’s Workforce Connecting Business With Education Worcestershire Employment & Skills Strategy Redditch Business Leaders Cllr Jane Potter, Cabinet Member for Education & Skills 7th December 2012

  2. Worcestershire Employment & Skills Board “Provide leadership on Employment & Skills in Worcestershire and champion investment in the workforce by the private sector” Plus advisors from the Skills Funding Agency, National Apprenticeship Service and Jobcentre Plus

  3. Worcestershire Employment & Skills Strategy • Six months of extensive consultation and development • Focus on small number of key areas to enable joint working • 100+ organisations from public and private sector involved • Key components: • Skills and Workforce Planning – increasing apprenticeships, improving talent management and increasing private sector investment in skills • Strengthening the relationship between schools and businesses – building a clearer picture of skills required and harnessing opportunities created under academy status • Increasing employability - addressing youth unemployment, developing graduate level opportunities and building better mechanisms to help small business to recruit locally • Adopted by Worcestershire LEP as part of Strategic Business Plan; initial delivery period up 2012-16

  4. Worcestershire Employment & Skills Strategy • 2016 Headline Targets • 10,000 apprenticeships created inc 40% increase in advanced apprenticeships • 5,000 individuals gain leadership & management qualifications • 1,000 new school work experience places created • Min of 50% High Schools working with employers on new curriculum activity • 25% reduction in youth unemployment (18-24yr olds) • 1250 SMEs supported to improve and invest in skills, recruitment and employment activity

  5. Worcestershire Employment & Skills Strategy • Key Activities: • Development of employer-led engineering skills academy (piloted initially in Redditch) • Establishment of new Cyber Security Professional Development Centre • Launch of The Worcestershire Employer Skills Commitment • Development of a Worcestershire Work Experience Programme • Establishment of Worcestershire Business Central

  6. Connecting Business With Education What Have Businesses Said? • Lack of ‘work ready’ students entering the labour market • Insufficient engagement by schools with businesses • Curriculum content is not reflective of world of work • Unclear what schools want from employers – it is more than just cash!

  7. Connecting Business With Education It’s Not Straightforward.....! • Schools are increasingly autonomous organisations • National curriculum means limited free space in the weekly timetable (mandatory subjects have priority) • Schools now have responsibility for careers guidance and work experience for their students • Schools say businesses have not articulated what they want or can offer!

  8. Connecting Business With Education What Does The Strategy Focus On? • Development of a new streamlined Worcestershire Work Experience Programme (piloted by Malvern Instruments) • Establishment of school-business partnerships to develop key curriculum areas – STEM, computer science, design technology, enterprise, finance • New careers guidance framework for high schools • Governor recruitment campaign to increase business representation on school boards • Business-led INSET Teacher Development Sessions

  9. Connecting Business With Education Moving Forward • Business cases for each element of the strategy are being developed for the ESB to approve • Investment and support being developed through WASH • Key challenges: • How can we make it easier for employers to get engaged? • What do you want from local high schools, given the restrictions they face? • What can you offer as partners

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