About the Visit our Schools campaign
The case for collaboration
What is to be gained through partnership?
Exploring the valued of education-employer relationships
A publication of the Education and EmployersTaskforce (PDF 940kb)
This paper considers the research base surrounding the engagement of employers with schools and colleges, and asks what is to be gained by young people, educational institutions and employers through these partnerships?
Joint statement
This is a joint statement from the Education and Employers Taskforce Partnership Board.
We know that:
- when employers and schools and colleges work well together, everybody can benefit – especially the learners.
- young people enjoy learning when it involves employers, value their expertise and are motivated by the challenge of working on real‐life projects.
- young people return from work experience placements wanting to achieve more at school, and employer involvement in activities like mentoring can can increase academic attainment.
- bringing employers into the classroom gives young people a broader and deeper understanding of the many careers open to them, and helps them to understand how to achieve their job of choice.
- employers who support work‐related learning are confident that they are helping to equip young people with the knowledge and attitudes that they themselves most value.
- schools and colleges overwhelmingly want more involvement from employers, across the curriculum and across all age groups, from 5 to 19.
- teachers can gain much from staff development opportunities, such as mentoring, offered by employers.
- there is a connection between school performance and the strength of the governing body, and that many of the skills essential to effective governance are found in abundance in neighbouring workplaces.
- hundreds of thousands of employers of all sizes and sectors already work with schools and colleges, and do so as a means of exciting young people about their economic sectors or specific career choices.
- working directly with schools and colleges can make employee recruitment cheaper and easier.
- working with schools and colleges can improve employee motivation; provides excellent opportunities for staff development; and enhances an employer’s reputation across the community.
- there is a real appetite among employers of all types to work more closely with schools and colleges.
- it has never been easier for employers and schools/colleges to work together.
- the changing economy means that it has never been more important.