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Careers & Enterprise Company [Annual Review 2020]
Talent and Skills
Impact for scaleups
3,800
Schools and colleges participating
2,300
Enterprise advisors
70%
Increase in proportion of schools and colleges running regular encounters with employers
Key sectors
The Careers & Enterprise Company links schools and colleges to employers and helps them to deliver world class careers support to all young people. It achieves this by connecting local employers to schools via its network of volunteer Enterprise Advisers who come from the world of business.
As a result of the Careers & Enterprise Company’s network 2 million secondary-age pupils from 3,800 participating schools and colleges are now engaging with employers regularly. The schools receive resources and digital tools as well as training for Careers Leaders.
Research carried out in 2019 shows the number of schools and colleges running regular encounters with employers has risen by 70 per cent – from less than a third two years ago (31%) to more than half this year (52%). Performance against officially recognised Gatsby benchmarks has also improved with disadvantaged areas including the Black Country, Tees Valley and The Humber among the best performing in the country.
In addition, the Careers & Enterprise Company works with 170 ‘cornerstone’ businesses in areas of greatest need to help young people build their employability skills, become better prepared for the world of work and improve social mobility. These employers – from large and small national and local businesses – work with their networks and wider business communities to ensure that all schools and colleges in the areas have access to an Enterprise Adviser and all young people at least four meaningful encounters with businesses.
Employers in the Enterprise Adviser Network are positive about their role: 82% intend to continue the role into the following year and 92% believe they have built a new skill through the work.
Ofsted has noted the progress being made in careers education: “The current picture is much more encouraging than has been the case in the past…We saw evidence of integrated, coherent and effective careers strategies in more schools.”
