Young people here in Cornwall need support from businesses like yours to understand the job opportunities in your sector and what businesses want. Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership is delivering an innovative project to create powerful, lasting connections between our local businesses and secondary schools.
Pioneered by the Careers and Enterprise Company, the Enterprise Adviser Programme is a national scheme that aims to bring volunteers from the business community (Enterprise Advisers) into schools to help bridge the gap between education and employment by increasing schools engagement with the business community.
To make informed choices, young people need access to quality and impartial careers guidance which is relevant to the labour market. This is where, you as employers and business leaders can help by sharing your business knowledge, expertise and experience.
The support you offer may include:
- Developing an employer engagement plan
- Acting as a champion for your industry
- Informing the development of Labour Market Information
- Facilitating wider network of businesses to work in partnership with your matched school
Why join the Enterprise Adviser Programme?
As a volunteer you can:
- Access your future workforce – from current apprenticeships to future jobs that don’t exist yet, let young people know about the amazing careers opportunities here in Cornwall.
- Help influence the educational landscape – making it relevant to young people so they understand how they fit into our future economy and improve their employability skills.
- Access development opportunities for staff members – by using a different set of skills to deliver employer supported activities with students.
- Inspire Cornwall’s next generation – help them make informed choices about their future and improve their employability skills.
- Raise your profile and reputation – be a leader in helping to shape Cornwall’s future. Access a new network of like-minded business contacts.
Want to help but perhaps not as Enterprise Advisor?
The Enterprise Adviser Programme would like to encourage businesses to pledge to support schools on an ad hoc basis with employer supported activities. The activities could be:
- Developing sector focused briefs
- Talks and presentations
- CV and employability workshops
- Mock interviews
- Competitions and enterprise activities
- Work place visits, shadowing and work experience
By signing up to our business directory you will be helping to inform and inspire your future workforce.
Don’t have the time to go into a school?
Perhaps you can support us develop recourses showcasing your business and opportunities in your sector to share with school or support our social media campaign to raise aspirations of Cornwall’s young people.
We can also sign post you to a range of exciting opportunities delivered by partner organisations.
Mel Colton-Dyer, Head of Business Connections and Skills, Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, said:
“Cornwall Chamber wants every young person to have access to the very best advice for their future career with all the opportunities open to them in Cornwall and beyond and fully supports the Enterprise Adviser programme. Businesses need to invest their time working with education to ensure young people have the skills and aptitude to fulfil the needs of the future workforce.”
Mark Duddridge, Chair, Cornwall & Isles of Scilly LEP, said:
“The economy in Cornwall is changing quickly with the emergence of many exciting and market leading businesses. Enterprise Advisors will ensure that our young people of have the very best chances of being part of these new developments as well as creating a far more productive economy and successful Cornwall.”
Contact
We are looking for high calibre volunteers like you who are passionate about helping young people to connect with the world of work. Please visit our website www.cioslep.com or contact our Enterprise Coordinators Carrie Holmes carolineholmes@cornwall.gov.uk or Rhiannon Pring – rpring@cornwall.gov.uk
This article first appeared in the Dec/Jan issue of Business Cornwall magazine. To subscribe, click here.
