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Preston

 WORK RELATED LEARNING THROUGH EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT

All students are entitled to experience Work-Related Learning between the ages of 14 to 16 at Key Stage 4. The 14-19 reforms build on this legal requirement by extending links between employers and educators in order to better provide Work-Related Learning for those students who choose it.
From this come the three parts of the Key Stage 4 legal requirement, which states that every young person should be able to:

• Learn through work by direct experiences, such as a part-time job or work experience;
• Learn about work by providing opportunities for students to develop their knowledge and understanding, for example through vocational courses and careers education;
• Learn for work by developing employability skills, such as mock interviews and work simulations

Working with Travel to Learn areas the Partnership Delivery model supports the Work-related Learning curriculum, Employer Engagement Implementation plans, 14-19 reforms and Partnership Employer Engagement strategy. Lancashire Education Business Partnership supports Lead Groups and individual schools to provide a flexible and creative model of delivery which is a relevant, personalised and suitable route for every young person enabling them to progress and achieve.

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Working in conjunction with the Preston 14-19 Partnership Lead Group Lancashire Education Business Partnership have delivered a series of interactive work related learning activities to a number of year 10 students. Lancashire Education Business Partnership co-ordinated and delivered a number of different events, which schools hand picked from our catalogue of activities which ranged from a whole year group Enterprise challenge to engaging 30 students in a STEM activity. All activities and events were delivered with an overall aim, to engage students with employers from industry, to encourage students to ask questions and to get a taste of the world of work.
The activities also encouraged teamwork, problem solving, communication, and to develop and utilise work ready skills such as; leadership, confidence, organisational skills, time management, creativity and design. Employers were carefully recruited, appropriate to the type of event and a suitable industry link. The events were also a good opportunity for schools to sustain a relationship with the employers in attendance, as all employers were from the local area.

Over 730 students attended and engaged in Work Related Learning Day, between the months of May- July, meeting over 20 employers.

Schools in attendance included Moor Park Business and enterprise College, Ashton Community Science College, Carr Hill High School, Longridge High School, Garstang High School, Fulwood Academy.

Organisations that supported the variety of events included RAF, British Transport Police, Army, Preston Police, Kaplan, UCLAN, HM Prison Services, BAE Systems, Sandcastle, EDS, Springfield Fuels, Mitie PS, NHS, HT Forrest Construction, Astrazeneca, KPMG, Library Services, Lancashire Fire and Rescue, STEMNET.

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Moor Park Business and Enterprise School....    

liked the idea of bringing employers from industry into school to give short, sharp exciting talks about their industry and careers. Students were put into groups of 15 and given a sheet of questions for them to act as a prompt. Students then rotated around the employers and participated in 6 of 8 discussions with the employers. Employer Comments included ‘Very well behaved students, good school’ and ‘I’ve really enjoyed myself, what a rewarding experience’

Ashton Community Science College....

 supported a small group of students to inspire and motivate through hands on workshops over 2 morning sessions. They wanted to stimulate students to work harder in their extended work placements and to emphasise the importance of interviews and behaviour/health and safety in the work place. The health and safety workshop seemed to be an eye opener for the students; this was then followed by the self-marketing workshop and how to sell you at an interview. The students have to attend interviews for their extended works placements and this was a good starting point for them. The majority of students were very positive, interactive and vocal. Student Comments included ‘I was well good at making the tallest tower’ and ‘It was fun working together’

Longridge High School....

booked an enterprise day for their year 10’s to increase motivation for learning. The challenge was called Lights, Camera, Action! Students formed companies in groups of 6/7 and went through the motions of a media company. Their challenge was to plan, create and devise an advert promoting their school. They had to produce a business plan, which included finances, marketing; research, advertising and anything else they felt would help their company to win the challenge. They had access to IT for research and other resources to use to produce a final advert. In the afternoon each group presented themselves, their company and their advert. Employers were supported the groups, giving ideas and general advice. Teacher Comments included ‘What an excellent day and a great way for students to be more enterprising’ and ‘The presentations were fantastic, I’m very proud of our students’

Carr Hill High School....

requested two different activities; a Work Experience Briefing and Mini Careers Talks. Around 70% of year 10 students participated in Work Experience and the briefing which was delivered to groups of around 30-40 students, lasting 40 minutes each proved to be helpful. The briefing covers, how placements are found, behaviours, health and safety, what is expected of a student in the work place and generally to inform the student of this fantastic opportunity they have got and to excite them for their upcoming placement.

The 30% of students that did not go on their 1 weeks work experience placement engaged in the Mini Careers Talks in the same week of work experience. 7 employers took part in this morning session, students rotated around the employers in small groups of around 10 and have the opportunity to ask as many questions about the industry, their job role and the world of work in 25 minutes. This session was a good way of opening young people’s eyes to the variety of industries and job roles available. It was a very successful programme and the lead teacher Paul Wallace was exceptionally accommodating and welcoming and really believed the programme benefited the students. Student Comments included ‘I never knew how important health and safety was’ and ‘It really showed me a lot of different options that I can choose’

Garstang High School....

was very enthusiastic about this opportunity and very keen to be involved. Paul Garstang in charge of careers and Work Experience wanted students to engage in a fun and challenging activity. His students took part in the Engineering Fairground Challenge, where students were given a brief and had to construct a fairground ride using minimal resources. The final test was to determine whether it was a working ride, using a marble as the passenger and to review the aesthetics. The day was a real success, with every group committing to the challenge and doing their very best. Some of the final ride designs were outstanding! This challenge promoted problem solving, teamwork, time management and entrepreneurism. Students enjoyed the challenge and Paul was delighted with the work they had done and it was a pleasure working with him and his students. Student Comments included ‘We won the challenge, our ride was wicked’ and ‘My team needed a better project manager’  

Fulwood Academy....

asked Lancashire Education Business Partnership to recruit employers from the local area to come along and promote their industry and job roles. The employers were very enthusiastic and tried to inspire the young people.

Since the event Lancashire Education Business Partnership has received nothing but positive comments from students and teachers. The aims of the workshops were achieved, which were to raise aspirations in year KS4 students. This has been achieved through the excellent interactive workshops that employers and Lancashire Education Business Partnership provided. Employers and the majority of teachers were passionate in promoting their profession and students really took this on board. Students felt that the employers were inspirational role-models who helped them to explore their future potential.

Employer Recruitment: Within Lancashire Education Business Partnership we have a high number of strong, working relationships with hundreds of employers. MITIE, The Army, KPMG are just a few of the companies which are part of our ‘Pledge’. This scheme is to recognise the support and dedication these companies have for schools across Lancashire and formally gain a commitment from the employers. We had a varied number of employers who took part in this programme. The employers enjoyed working with these schools and the feedback from them has been very positive. If you would like to know more about the ‘Pledge’ please, refer to ADD HYPERLINK.