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FOCUS FEATURE


EDUCATION It will be of equal interest to businesses, which, after all,


will ultimately employ today’s post-GCSE students. As we have seen in this edition’s interview with Leicester


Castle Business School Principal Dana Brown, the needs and requirements of business is of fundamental importance to recruiters and therefore the decision making process undertaken each summer by 16-year-olds ultimately has a significant effect on businesses. As a result, the country’s economy is directly affected by this annual process. The much talked about skills gap, featured many times in this publication, which is hampering many sectors and impacting on business growth, is a significant case in point. To this end, be it through careers fairs, targeted


marketing, apprenticeships or company-specific innovative schemes and programmes for the workforce of tomorrow, the world of business is becoming an increasingly prominent player in the post-16 choices for students, of which many Chamber members are very active. Accountants PwC, for example, has pages on its website


dedicated to promoting opportunities to current school and college leavers opportunities within the organisation this autumn, promoting its own programme. PwC’s message to school leavers touches on everything discussed above and highlights the key questions being asked by leavers, stating that “You’re studying at college or sixth form, but there’s also a lot of focus on what’s next. We know you have career goals and ambitions. But do you decide to start your career or go to university? Perhaps you want to explore new opportunities. You know you have to start work at some point, but when is the right time, and what is the right path? Whatever you choose, it has to be right for you. Whether you’re ready for a career right now, or in a few years, we’ve got real opportunities for those who want to learn, adapt, be challenged and grow. No matter what your background”. A quick online search and you’ll see a similar theme


across many Chamber member businesses that are not content to simply wait to see what each academic year offers them in terms of employable individuals but wish instead to influence the process themselves. Of course, an individual business’s desire to be a part of


the decision making process for school leavers is not an altogether altruistic one. It goes without saying that businesses look for students with talent and ability who can be developed to add significant value to the organisation in question. Yet there does seem to be an understanding within the


business community that there is an expectation and responsibility to be big players in the wider conversation surrounding post-GCSE decisions and the impact this has on the country as a whole both now and moving forward. The Chamber itself, which runs its own apprenticeships


programme and sees 98% of its apprentice graduates remain in a job, works closely with education providers, businesses and policy makers to help this process. Just recently it called on its members through its Quarterly Economic Survey for Q3, which remains live, to input into the process with companies being asked to what extent they want to work with schools to improve employability of leavers. The lack of basic skills demonstrated by ‘leavers’ but demanded by employers, the Chamber suggests, is a “perennial complaint” of recruiters. It’s clear that there is a wider picture here that must link


primary education – as discussed in the previous edition of Business Network – secondary and further education and the world of work. The crucial decisions taken every year by school leavers is clearly a hugely crucial element of this. It may even be at the epicentre of the process. What is also clear is that, as referenced at the start of


this piece, few decisions carry as much significance as those faced by post-16 students. However, whereas this process in the past has arguably


been seen as a fairly micro one – individuals seeking advice from trusted individuals and following a clearly-defined, rigid set of options – the whole conversation surrounding school leavers’ choices seems, on the whole, a much broader one. It includes a wide variety of stakeholders from Government policy makers, local authorities, careers


40 business network September 2017


A high percentage of pupils discuss school leaver opportunities with their teachers


‘The Chamber itself, which runs its own apprenticeships programme and sees 98% of its apprentice graduates remain in a job, works closely with education providers, businesses and policy makers’


advisers, schools, further education institutions, businesses and, of course, school leavers and their immediate support network coming together to create something greater than the sum of its parts. This concerted and collaborative effort naturally remains


a competitive one but, as Dana Brown argues in her Business Network interview, “at this juncture we all need one another. Businesses don’t have room for slack at the moment and business needs are changing very quickly… if we all act separately, it is a lot harder to make change”. While the high level, headline element is clearly critical,


first and foremost, the onus and focus must be on ensuring that school leavers are allowed to make their own decisions but armed with all the tools and information they need to make the best, most informed decision for their future. It is these decisions, after all, which will ultimately influence the future landscape of the business world and create the business leaders and talented workforce of the future. As the National Careers Service points out to those in


the process of making their post-GCSE choices: “There are options available and help and support at hand. There is a lot to think about so it’s a good idea to take some time to explore different career paths to ensure you make the best direction for you.” With this in mind, the responsibility lies with all


interested parties, not just the education sector, to help ensure as many correct decisions are taken by school leavers as possible and that’s a concept that businesses, on the whole, are clearly fully understanding.


Firms have a responsibility to be big players in the conversation about school leaver decicisions


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