NEWS... Atkins launches industry first STEM School Governor’s programme
Atkins – a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group – has become the first organisation in the engineering and construction sector to establish a programme with Governors for Schools, a national education charity that finds, places and supports governors on school and academy boards.
The programme will see Atkins professionals work on a voluntary basis with primary and secondary schools across England to help promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects and raise the profile of engineering as a career path in a direct response to the sector’s skills and diversity challenges.
Atkins has made a commitment to place 44 STEM and Careers Link governors by 2024, with a specific focus on girls’ schools, schools in areas of high deprivation and engaging children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) – benefitting a minimum of 18,000 under-represented learners from the age of 4 to 16, as well as adults in a number of SEND settings.
The governors will offer strategic guidance, working with school leadership teams to bring an outside perspective to curriculum delivery which will
include collaborating with Atkins subject matter experts to drive improvement in how concepts such as digital technology and net zero fit into education. So far, 17 governors across England and Wales are projected to donate 1,367 hours of voluntary time to schools in the next 12 months. The programme is open to all staff at Atkins, giving them the opportunity to develop new skills they can apply back to their careers.
Jess Bates, a client director at Atkins and Governors for Schools programme lead, said:
“We have a unique opportunity to revolutionise the way the industry engages with STEM education, bringing a focus to skills of the future and creating a workforce that is truly reflective of society.
“This programme puts 44 schools at the front and centre of our supply chain for a minimum term of 4 years, allowing us to plug in a pipeline of classroom enrichment and track the impact of our involvement as children progress from the classroom, straight into entry-level roles within Atkins or our supply chain and on our major projects.
“We now look forward to building closer ties with Governors for Schools and to facilitating wider industry involvement through joint engagement with clients and the wider supply chain.”
Emma Harris, Head of Recruitment at Governors for Schools, said: “We’re delighted to have such a committed partner working with us to not only fill governor vacancies, but to drive systemic change in how industry supports schools.”
https://governorsforschools.org.uk
Capita appointed by Department for Education to support schools and Multi Academy Trusts (MATs) implement flexible working Capita has been awarded a new contract to deliver a
programme for culture change and promote flexible working practices in English schools. Boosting flexible working is a key pillar of the Department for Education (DfE)’s strategy to recruit new teachers and help retain the existing workforce, with the aim of modernising working conditions and offering a range of working patterns that better suit teachers and leaders, improve staff wellbeing, and create a more diverse teacher and leader workforce. Capita, along with delivery partner Flexible Teacher Talent and other key partners from the sector such as Now Teach, will deliver a culture change programme to increase the awareness within schools and MATs about the full range of flexible working practices available, which can include part-time working, job
sharing, home or remote working, phased retirement and personal/family days. It will also support school leaders to implement flexible working, including designing flexible roles, adopting a proactive approach and navigating the challenges flexible working can pose in schools. In addition to primary and secondary schools and MATs, there will be a key focus on assisting schools and MATs with a high proportion of disadvantaged students, as well as schools with specific specialisms such as Pupil Referral Units/Alternative Provision and Special Educational Needs and Disability. The contract will run for two years initially until March 2025. Capita and its partners will design and promote a series of free training and support, help
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www.education-today.co.uk
drive awareness and improve knowledge through regional workshops and conferences, as well as support the strategic and operational delivery of up to 12 grant-funded Flexible Working Ambassador Schools to be appointed by the DfE. Dr Gordon Carver, consulting partner, Capita Education and Learning, said:
“We believe this strategic programme is a critical part of addressing the urgent teacher retention issues the sector currently faces.
“We’re excited to be delivering such a vital culture change programme which will have a real, positive impact on the working lives of our teachers, improve career progression, and help retain a skilled workforce.”
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said:
“Teachers are the backbone of our school system - inspiring, educating and ultimately preparing our next generation to make the very best of their lives. That is why we want to transform teachers’ working conditions to make flexible working more accessible.
“Teachers need to be properly supported and this strategy aims to ensure teachers have access to a working pattern that suits them. This will have a profound knock-on effect on teachers’ wellbeing and help with the retention of great teachers.”
https://www.capita.com/industries/education-and-learning March 2023
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