Coventry and Warwickshire announced as Careers Hubs to help transform careers education

Warwickshire County Council's longstanding commitment to providing young people with maximum career pathways has received a boost after the county was included in a new wave of Careers Hubs across the country.

Following an announcement by the Secretary of State this week, Warwickshire and Coventry are to become two of 18 new Careers Hubs, the first in the area. Warwickshire Careers Hub will be integrated with Warwickshire County Council's existing Skills for Employment Programme. It will add a new dimension to the ongoing work that the county council has been doing to establish bridges between education-providers and employers for a number of years.

The first 20 Careers Hubs were launched by the Careers & Enterprise Company across England last September. Schools and colleges in that first wave are already outperforming the national average across all aspects of careers education.

This week's announcement is for a second wave of Careers Hubs, backed by a further £2.5m investment. Just over 1,300 secondary schools and colleges (around a quarter of those in England) will now benefit from being part of a Careers Hub.

Each Hub brings together a group of up to 40 schools, and colleges give every school and college in the area the opportunity to work together with universities, training providers, employers and career professionals.

Monica Fogarty, Chief Executive of Warwickshire County Council, said: “Warwickshire County Council welcomes this new funding which will build on and expand the work that we have been doing with our schools and colleges for a number of years through our Skills for Employment Programme.

“We know that effective careers and employability advice and support are critical components of a successful labour market, while also providing clear social benefits, increasing the likelihood of successful employment outcomes and lifetime earnings.

“Ensuring that all our young people develop strong employability skills, and are provided with effective and appropriate careers advice and support, is a key priority for the County Council.”

Schools and colleges in the hub will have access to further support and funding, including an expert ‘Hub Lead’ to help coordinate activity and build networks, a central fund to support employer engagement activities and training for a ‘Careers Leader’ in each school and college.

Employers are vital to the Hub model's success and more than 100 ‘Cornerstone Employers’ across the country have committed to driving and championing all-important connections to the world of work. Cornerstone Employers work with a specific Hub and underwrite careers provision in these areas.