Cover story


Equipment donations The charity Business2Schools (business2schools.com) collects unwanted technology products, office equipment and furniture from companies and gives it to schools. Founded by company director and


school governor Lindsey Parslow in 2019, Business2Schools has redistributed more than 20,000 desktops and laptops, and helped schools around the country refurnish their buildings with high-quality furniture that’s been cast off when companies relocate or upgrade. It is currently rehoming more than 2,000 devices donated by the BBC. One business professional who


came on board to support the charity’s lockdown appeal is Katie Lewis, regional director of global consultancy TransPerfect and a volunteer within the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA). After finding out about the work of Business2Schools on the BBC, Katie reached out to the 400-plus members of the HBA – many of whom work at large corporations – on WhatsApp. She included a request template that members could forward to colleagues in operations or IT for any unwanted tech. As a result, the pharmaceutical firm


Mallinckrodt donated 50 laptops and 50 iPads to the charity, while another pharmaceutical company, Takeda, gave more than 20 laptops. ‘A lot of companies upgrade their IT


every couple of years and the old stuff just sits around,’ says Katie. ‘People don’t realise that schools are desperate for technology, and that donating it could make an immediate and significant difference to children’s lives.’


local opportunities for young people. The rise in youth unemployment since the start of the pandemic, combined with disruption to traditional careers programmes in schools, makes engagement with employers even more important. Through the scheme, Ensafe,


Connecting to careers The Careers and Enterprise Company (careersandenterprise. co.uk) was set up by the government in 2014 to facilitate high-quality careers education by linking schools with employers. It is funded by an annual grant from the Department for Education. Today, around 85% of mainstream secondary schools and colleges are members of the organisation’s ‘Enterprise Adviser Network’. This partners schools with volunteers who are business professionals, able to give a valuable employer perspective and create


16 SUMMER 2021 FundEd


a leading environmental and compliance service provider, has supported schools and colleges in Northamptonshire for many years, and its chief executive Greg Kirkman works as an enterprise adviser. Having experienced skills shortages in young people locally, Greg says Ensafe is investing time and resources into developing talent. Greg is also a trustee for two


SEND Multi Academy Trusts. Ensafe recently created a long-term work


‘Volunteers are able to


give a valuable employer perspective and create local opportunities for young people’


experience placement for Dylan Thomas, 17, a sixth-form SEND student from Daventry Hill School in Northamptonshire. It is hoped he will become the company’s first supported internship. Dylan works three days a week from 9am to 3pm, and has gained experience across all departments, from administration to lab work. Dylan says: ‘Working at Ensafe


has given me a great opportunity. I have learnt lots of new skills working as part of a team. It will make it easier for me to get a job once I finish school. I am very grateful for this opportunity.’ Additionally, Greg has mentored


KS4 pupils at Daventry Hill, helping them prepare for interview by looking at different types of interviews, the power of social presence and how to greet someone correctly. Staff from Ensafe also took part in online workshops with pupils, and recently released a video highlighting to students how many transferable skills they develop in lessons, and how relevant their subject studies are to the workplace.


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