13 Jul Careers Education at RSA Arrow Vale…

Careers Education at RSA Arrow Vale to get a helping hand with this latest news….

Worcestershire is to become one of 20 ‘Careers Hubs’ around England to help transform careers education for young people in the county.

Worcestershire’s Careers Hub, developed by Worcestershire LEP in partnership with Worcestershire County Council, will be made up of 40 local secondary schools and further education colleges. The Careers Hub is working together with employers and career professionals to improve careers education for the county’s young people and to the benefit of businesses and the local economy.

Careers Hubs are a central part of the Government’s Careers Strategy, published in December, aiming to improve careers education and help prepare young people for the world of work.

The Government asked the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) to scale up a model successfully piloted in the North East by establishing 20 Careers Hubs across the country, allocating £5 million over a two-year period to support the Hubs.

Worcestershire’s Careers Hub will have access to support and funding to help secondary schools and colleges meet the eight Gatsby Benchmarks of excellent careers education, working towards improved careers outcomes for young people.

These benchmarks ensure that every young person in Worcestershire aged 13 and over will be exposed to more employer encounters and gain a greater understanding of the world of work. The benchmarks also offer individualised information, advice and guidance around a range of post 16 education offers, from sixth form to technical college to university and apprenticeships, enabling young people to make informed choices about their future.

The Careers Hub announcement follows the success of Worcestershire becoming the first area in the UK to successfully recruit 100% of its local secondary schools into the Careers and Enterprise Company Enterprise Adviser Network.

Mark Stansfeld, Chair of the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “It’s great to see the national investment in Worcestershire’s skills network, and the recognition that the county is a location that is succeeding in developing an effective skills infrastructure. We are delighted that the Careers and Enterprise Company saw our application as being an ‘exceptional’ bid and we look forward to launching our Careers Hub in September.”

Carl Arntzen, CEO of Worcester Bosch, said: “The announcement of a Careers Hub for Worcestershire is great news for young people and businesses alike. Our local CEC team does a fantastic job in providing the county’s younger generations with the skills and advice needed for the world of work, and this newly announced Careers Hub will only help to enhance this support.”

Claudia Harris, Chief Executive of The Careers & Enterprise Company, said: “We’re excited by the potential impact of the Hubs. If employers, schools and colleges can better prepare young people for the world of work, we’re not just benefiting the future economy, but improving prospects for thousands of young people.”

For further information on the Worcestershire Careers Hub, and for businesses looking to get involved with the work of the hub, email cec@worcestershire.gov.uk