The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP) is calling for businesses to support schools with careersrelated learning for children as young as five. Matt Joyce, Regional Lead: North East Ambition, explains more.
At the age of five, children can already be starting to form ideas about their futures. And they can even be subconsciously narrowing down their options based on a number of different factors including gender stereotypes.
That’s why, here in the North East, we now support primary schools as well as secondary schools to provide age-appropriate information about the true range of careers and opportunities which are on offer to all children as they grow up.
And we’re helped in that work by employers, who bring to life different roles and careers through all sorts of events and activities. Now, we have some new opportunities for more businesses to work with schools across our region.
In County Durham, South Tyneside and Sunderland, the Department for Education is backing a new programme called Start Small, Dream Big. More than 75 primary schools will be putting in place new careers-related learning for both children and their parents or carers. As part of this, we’re looking for businesses to help give these children and their parents or carers a real idea of the different types of work people can do in our region.
And north of the river, we’re working with groups of schools to help ease the transition as children move from primary to secondary. We also need businesses’ support here, as school clusters will be inviting pupils to meet employers, ask questions and take part in activities at a range of events.
It’s an opportunity for you to work with primary schools in a really effective and efficient way. We’ll be working with groups of schools meaning you can potentially reach hundreds of children at once, and there are often opportunities to meet parents as well, making sure they’re aware of your business and careers in your sector.
Primary-aged children are inquisitive and enquiring, so we can help you create an encounter which will answer their questions and spark their ambition. We can match you with a school in your area and give you the chance to influence what meaningful employer engagement looks like in schools.
These opportunities aren’t just for large organisations, we want to hear from businesses of all shapes and sizes, whatever area you work in. From medicine to manufacturing, and from cars to computing, we want to represent the full spectrum of sectors and careers.
Businesses who’ve already been involved, both virtually and in-person, have been really positive about the experience and have given children an insight into their world through careers fairs, in-school experiences and presentations.
The difference you can make is huge and there are opportunities right through until next year, so do get in touch if you’d like to help inspire big dreams in the next generation.