What came first, the Chicken or the Egg?

Never has the need for Industry and Education to work together been more important, with the introduction of Gatsby bench marking within schools and the launch of the 2017 Careers Strategy December 2017. These both set out the standards that each and every child should have "multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills valued in the workplace" and "every student should have first hand experiences of the workplace".

Critical role for employers

"Employers are integral to great careers advice."

When I was at school ( which wasn't that long ago!) there was an expectation that you would chose one of the "traditional career" options, such as nursing, the Police Force or the Army - these were the only types of industry represented when people turned up to talk to us about careers.

This is often still the case, with the more "traditional" organisations still very much engaged with school activities (which is fantastic). However as you and I know there are many more opportunities... As digital is the new industrial revolution, digital businesses absolutely need to play a fundamental role in these type of activities, which include careers talks, site visits and work shadowing and or work experience.

Experience Essential 

99% of job descriptions read work experience essential... 

• How do you get a job if you haven't got any experience?
• How do you get experience when you can't get a job?

Be The Difference

Research carried out by the Education and Employers Task Force shows that a young person that has four or more encounters with an employer is 86% (that's 86%) less likely to be unemployed.

I totally understand that it's difficult to offer work experience, as everyone has deadlines and targets to meet and time is money etc. But the top and bottom of it is, that if digital businesses don't step up to the challenge then we are going to struggle to attract young talent into the sector. Educators need support in helping students understand the digital sector and the crucial role that it plays in the economy.

What support do you need?

At our Digital Summit 2017 we had 1033 hours committed from industry to support education, which is absolutely amazing. Some of these hours have been put to good use already, with businesses attending careers talks at schools etc. But we need to do more!

Work experience is not an option for students - it is a crucial part of their education and that will never change! The question is: what support do digital businesses need, to be able to make this happen? Help me to help you to use your hours effectively to make a life changing difference to a young person's life. 

If you are interested in working with young people but don't know where to start, please get in touch and we will help!