£101,000 awarded in Skills for Education grants to schools
34 secondary-age schools received Skills for Employment grants worth up to £3,000 in June 2017. Match-funded by schools, the grants are being used on a range of approved careers and employability projects, ranging from provision of one-to-one careers interviews for young people, to funding a school’s preparation to achieve a national Careers Quality Award. This is the fourth round of such grants awarded since 2015. The total value of this type of grant awarded to schools is more than £400,000. It is estimated that around 20,000 students have received careers or employability support funded by the grants. Here’s a summary of one school’s evaluation report on its 2016/17 grant-funded activity:
30 year 11 students at most risk of becoming not in employment, education or training (NEET) were supported with up to three one-to-one interviews, some of which also involved their parent(s). All went on to choose a positive post-16 destination, while two were offered jobs with apprenticeships by local businesses. 39 vulnerable year 8 students and their parent (s) took part in interviews to help choose their GCSE options. The school is in the final stages of achieving accreditation for the national Careers Quality Award.
New STEM and work experience offers
New STEM and work experience network at HORIBA MIRA Technology Park
Nuneaton-based Japanese automotive engineering consultancy HORIBA MIRA is creating a new work experience network for local schools, colleges and other businesses. The project is being supported with a County Council Skills Challenge grant worth £36,497.
Work experience placements will not only be offered at HORIBA MIRA, the global provider of pioneering engineering, research and test services to the automotive, defence, aerospace and rail sectors, but also at other businesses on the HORIBA MIRA Technology Park. Firms will work with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) teachers and careers leads in schools and colleges to provide opportunities for students.
‘There is a real shortage of young people entering Engineering and other STEM related careers”, HORIBA MIRA Technology Park Skills Manager, Torin Spence, told us. “By bringing together the industry leading companies on the HORIBA MIRA Technology Park with local young people, schools and colleges we want to be able to show what the Automotive Engineering sector is like in 2017 and inspire local young people to choose engineering as a career path.’
Atkins STEM and Work Experience Offer
One of the world's most respected design, engineering and project management consultancies, Atkins Global (Birmingham division) is one of Warwickshire County Council’s main contractors. As part of its payback to our community, the company offers an extensive work experience programme and recruits young people in a range of roles to be apprentices. It also has 34 STEM ambassadors who visit schools.
For more information on the HORIBA MIRA and Atkins offers please e-mail skillsformployment@warwickshire.gov.uk or call 01926 418027.
New resources for teachers and pupils
A range of new resources are available on the Warwickshire Skills for Employment site including:
- 9 Learner Journeys showing real careers routes young people in our schools followed last year. There are also short videos of 3 of the journeys
- A new Powerpoint slide pack showing job vacancies and the skills required in 2016
- Free Engineering UK materials to use with pupils.
You can also find a list of FREE resources available to schools for careers and education guidance here.
2018 Skills for Employment Conference - 7th March
Our annual Skills for Employment breakfast conference will take place on 7th March 2018 at Stoneleigh Park.
Details will be sent to key contacts in schools in December 2017.