Fuelling ambition: developing a whole-school approach to careers

This workshop and panel discussion for secondary schools is organised by the Bucks Skills Hub, which implements the national Careers & Enterprise Company's programme across the county in partnership with Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership (BTVLEP).

It follows the main Buckinghamshire Association of Secondary Headteachers (BASH) meeting and is open to all BASH members, Careers Leaders and Enterprise Advisers.

Attendees are encouraged to share best practice and prepare questions for the panel discussion.

AGENDA

13.00: Arrival, refreshments and networking

13.30: Welcome, Marina Jackson, Under 19 Skills Manager, BTVLEP

13.35: National and regional update by Kerry Senatore, Regional Lead, Careers & Enterprise Company

13.50: The Emerging Evidence Base, Emily Tanner, Head of Research, Careers & Enterprise Company

14.15: The importance of Careers Education to Young People, Carl Ward, Chief Executive of the City Learning Trust

14.30: Panel debate: Are education providers and young people prepared for the jobs of tomorrow?

15.30: Closing remarks

ABOUT THE PANELLISTS (Note - others to be confirmed)

Carl Ward: Chief Executive of the City Learning Trust, a 3 to 19 MAT in Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire

Carl has worked as a senior leader over the last 17 years and has been a teacher for 25 years, working in a range of schools and organisations across a number of settings. He was ASCL President in 2017-2018. Between 2009 and 2011 he was part of the Prime Minister’s Talent & Enterprise Taskforce and has advised the Number 10 policy unit on a number of aspects of education. He is Chair of the Careers & Enterprise Company's Education Advisory Board and a member of the Board of the Confederation of School Trusts. He is also a council member for both the International Confederation of Principals and the European School Headteachers Association.

Carl has been Chair of the Schools Cooperative Society, a member of the Education Funding Agency Advisory Board and the DfE Schools and Academies Funding Group (SAFG). He also chaired the College of Teaching Trustees selection committee and was a member of the DfE’s PHSE implementation group. Carl has regional, national and international experience in leadership development and school-to-school improvement, and has supported national and international projects and conferences for a range of organisations.

In 2009, Carl was awarded the DfE Sinnott Fellowship for outstanding work to create outward facing schools. In 2010 his school received the Business in the Community National Education Award for Community Excellence and in 2015 his school received two national awards from the DfE for outstanding performance.

Richard Harrington: Chief Executive, Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership

Richard has lead responsibility for the business-led Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership. This includes the development and implementation of a plan to align public and private sector investment and secure and invest European and UK Government funding to build the conditions for sustainable economic growth across Buckinghamshire and by collaborating with neighbouring areas.

A Chartered Town Planner and Chartered Surveyor specialising in public private delivery, prior to the LEP Richard led a successful public-private local delivery vehicle that translated planned employment, infrastructure and housing growth from the Sustainable Communities Plan into tangible outcomes on the ground.

Richard is also the Enterprise Adviser for Buckingham School.

Dena Read: Intermediaries Manager with the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), part of the Department for Education.

Having spent over 15 years in the education sector, Dena has worked as both a provider of adult skills learning and in operational roles nationally for the ESFA and National Apprenticeship Service. Dena is currently working with several Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and other external bodies to develop readiness for the delivery of T-Levels – the biggest change to technical education in a generation.

Helen Hill: Careers Lead, The Misbourne

Helen has been teaching at The Misbourne for the last ten years and took on responsibility for careers five years ago. Before joining the Misbourne, Helen taught at Tanglin Trust School in Singapore and Princes Risborough School, Buckinghamshire. Helen has been coordinating the Bucks Careers Network for a number of years, where local schools work together to help each other achieve the Gatsby Benchmarks. Helen received the Careers Leader of the Year Award for the East & South East of England in 2018 for her commitments to careers.

Helen's background in business has helped provide relevant experience for her role in teaching and careers. She has previously worked in Purchasing and Demand Management for Tesco, Nokia and United Friendly after graduating with a business degree and holds qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Marketing and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply.

Simon Jones: Head teacher, The Cottesloe School

Simon has been a teacher since 1994 and has worked predominantly in Bucks during this time. He believes education is one of the most powerful drivers for change in anyone's life, be that as a teacher or a student. One of his main inspirations for going into leadership was Sue Tanner, Principal of The Chalfonts Community College where he worked for 10 years, making his way up to Vice-Principal. He completed his MA whilst at Chalfonts and credits this with helping him gain a greater understanding of the power of education and leadership.

His sole motivation is to make a difference to as many students as he can. He is passionate about developing a curriculum and an educational experience that enables students to reach the outcomes and destinations they aspire to. As a newly appointed Headteacher, he feels privileged to be in a position where he can enable students to make the right decisions as they make their way in an ever-changing world.

Kathryn Maidment: Community Liaison Manager , Pinewood Studios Group

Kathryn Maidment has been working in the film industry for over 30 years and is currently Community Liaison for the Pinewood Studios Group. In her early career as an International Publicist, she was responsible for implementing worldwide publicity campaigns for Universal, Paramount and MGM feature films, including several Bond movies. She moved to LA for 2 years to help kick-start a US based office for a small British publicity company, and on her return to the UK, chose to work as a freelance unit publicist - achieving all marketing and publicity needs from producers with cast, crew and filmmakers for the duration of a films production. Kathryn has been with the Pinewood Group as Community Liaison for 3 years and helps support local charities and organisations fundraise by donating Studio resources. She is also responsible for education outreach, helping students of all ages learn and engage on career paths available within the creative industries.

John Akhurst: student at The Misbourne

Studying Economics, History and RSL Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma Music Practitioner in year 12 at The Misbourne School. John has been at the school since Year 7 and during his time there has been engaged in as many activities as possible, actively making sure that he is getting the best out of his education. He was also elected as one of the Head Students of the Misbourne and has already been using his role in this position to benefit others within the school by working in a team with like-minded individuals. John also sits on the Buckinghamshire LEP Careers Hub Board, representing the student body.

ABOUT THE ORGANISERS

Bucks Skills Hub

Bucks Skills Hub, based at Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership, aims to promote and optimise links between employers and educators, to enable young people to become more work ready through greater employer involvement and to ensure they gain the right skills for the local growth sectors.

Skills development is central to creating local conditions for sustained innovation, excellence and growth, and through our shared cohesive skills agenda, we are connecting educators and employers. BTVLEP’s Skills Hub and the Enterprise Adviser Network (part of the Careers and Enterprise Company’s national network) supported 70,000 employer-student encounters in Bucks in 2017/18

Home to one of 20 pilot Careers Hubs in England as part of the established Careers and Enterprise Company programme, we are connecting schools and businesses and organising skills competitions in schools with employers including Bosch, East-West Rail, The Cloudy Group and the National Film & Television School, and work place visits to British Standards Institution and Emerson.

The annual Bucks Skills Show is the county’s largest interactive and experiential skills festival: 3,000+ people attended across the two-day event in October 2018, with 100+ high profile exhibitors linked to BTVLEP growth sectors and guest speakers included David Lidington MP, Google, Ministry of Sound, ITV News, Civil Service and Sir Anthony Seldon.

Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership

BTVLEP is developing a growth-focussed Local Industrial Strategy to build on key industrial assets in Bucks, such as Pinewood, Silverstone and Westcott. As part of this, the skills strategy is evolving around The Inspiration Revolution: inspiring young people to pursue technical and professional careers as part of the new technical education and training system (T-Levels, apprenticeships). This is seen as key to meeting the skills and workforce requirements of businesses associated with the priority sectors and raising productivity across BTVLEP, as well as inspiring employers and young people through a new technically-led system.

The Careers & Enterprise Company

The CEC’s mission is to prepare and inspire young people for the fast-changing world of work. It was established in 2015 to help link schools and colleges to employers, in order to increase employer engagement for young people.

The government’s Careers Strategy published in December 2017 significantly expanded its remit. Its role is to link schools and colleges to employers and to help them deliver world class careers support for all young people. It delivers this through:

1. Building Networks: Linking schools and colleges to employers and other external careers providers through the Enterprise Adviser Network and Careers Hubs.

2. Supporting Careers Leaders: Providing training and support for Careers Leaders in schools and colleges.

3. Backing the Gatsby Benchmarks: Supporting implementation of a best practice standard for careers support, the Gatsby Benchmarks, with tools and targeted funding.