12 | Aycliffe Today Business
The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 13
Business Durham’s hugely-successful
Future Business Magnates initiative,
which has been running for 10 years, is
a fantastic example of businesses and
education coming together.
“The education sector
has flung open their
doors to the business
community and is ready
to welcome employers
with open arms.“
The £15m University Technical College which opened on
Aycliffe Business Park in September will help to bring
businesses and education together.
EDUCATING BUSINESS
Confidence is key to helping students achieving their aspirations and
succeeding in industry or the professions.
Nick Dent is Head of the Education Team at law firm Endeavour
Partnership, and is an experienced governor at King’s Academy
in Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough. He is responsible to the
Department of Education and Ofsted for the oversight and strategic
management of the school, is Vice-Chair of the Local Governing Body,
and is Chair of the Academy Improvement Board.
Here, Nick explains why he thinks it is so important for schools to let
our young people experience the world of work from an early age...
Employers appear frustrated that practical
education, confidence and social skills appear
to be lacking amongst the newest generation
to walk our office floors.
Our education system is full of dedicated
teachers who are achieving success in the
classroom and on the league tables, but due
to budget cuts and access to resources, are
their hands tied when it comes to preparing
children for success outside of the school
rooms?
The coalition government scrapped
compulsory work experience in England
in 2012, severing the last compulsory
connection between the education and
commercial world.
There are so many great initiatives being
undertaken, both locally and nationally, to
help bridge that gap. One of which local
to this area is Business Durham’s hugelysuccessful Future Business Magnates
competition, which has been running for
more than 10 years and seeks to spark an
entrepreneurial spirit among young people
by coming up with business models for the
future.
Here in Newton Aycliffe, of course, there is
the North-East’s very first University Technical
College, South Durham UTC, which opened
in September – an engineering and advanced
manufacturing Centre of Excellence which
is taking in pupils from age 14 and nurturing
them into potential employees of the future.
There’s also South West Durham Training,
which celebrates its 50th year in 2017 and
has worked with local schools and employers
for the last five decades. It’s also famous for
a number of well-known alumni including
the likes of Nifco CEO Mike Matthews,
who’s also president of the North East
England Chamber of Commerce, Gatwick
Airport chief executive Stewart Wingate and
the comedian Vic Reeves, who studied an
engineering apprenticeship there before his
dramatic career change.
On Teesside, we work with a number of
experts from various areas of the education
sector.
Andrew Stogdale of Inspire2learn
believes that there are two issues: a lack of
understating by children of what employment
opportunities are available; and a need
for positive or negative affirmation of job
choices. They also say there’s a need to
educate children on the practical application
of what is taught in the classroom to real
life scenarios, which is what Inspire2learn
are successfully implementing through
partnering with local companies and
organisations to develop employability skills
and attitudes from Nursery upwards.
Some 82% of more than 3000 bosses
polled by the British Chambers of Commerce
said all pupils under 16 should be offered
work placements.
This is a sentiment echoed by Keighley
Larkin at Hart Biologicals in Hartlepool,
who provide innovative and quality medical
products to meet the needs of the everchanging healthcare field and have a proud
history of student engagement.
Keighley has expressed her surprise that
compulsory work experience programmes
in term time have been withdrawn, thereby
compelling students to undertake such
works experience within, for example, their
summer holidays. The withdrawal of such
works experience programmes deprives
pupils of the opportunity to compose a
curriculum vitae, to experience an interview
process, and ultimately a taster session.
Hart Biologicals is just one of many
companies that have embraced the
engagement between schools and
employers. They offer work experience with
a focus on the sciences, teaching students
practical aspects such as to how to use
instruments and how to calibrate a ph meter.
Their intent to engage with the local
schools and bring the classroom to life has
reaped dividends. They have nurtured local
talent. Joshua arrived as a work experience
student and declined an opportunity to
study at university so as to accept an
apprenticeship. He’s now a full-time
technical scientist with Hart Biologicals
with a particular remit as to how products
can be freeze dried and has recently been
commended at the Festival of Learning
Awards.
This engagement with students and
building their confidence has also been
embraced by PD Ports, and in particular their
involvement with the High Tide Foundation,
which seeks to bring together industry
and education across Teesside to provide
an insight into how businesses operate
whilst developing skills and showcasing
employment opportunities.
The High Tide Foundation seeks to give
hope to young people, instilling a positive
attitude and managing expectations, and
ensuring that students are ‘work ready’.
There has to be a fundamental connection
between what is taught at school and
the requirements of the job opportunities
available. The classroom cannot be an
isolated hub but must be connected and
influenced by the outside world.
Many local schools and colleges are
starting initiatives to create opportunities
for businesses to get involved. Carmel
College in Darlington has begun a school
and business partnership initiative inviting
business to share their thoughts and views
on the integration of the two sectors with
the ultimate aim of inspiring children and
demonstrating the work opportunities
available, while St Bede’s Primary School and
Country Valley Foods in Stockton started the
Developing Future Winner’s events which
saw 400 businesses and schools come
together.
Whether you loved or hated school, the
fundamental issue is there has to be a cross
over from text book to real life application of
skills.
The education sector has flung open their
doors to the business community and is
ready to welcome employers with open
arms.
It seems very clear that if we want the
right people for the job it makes sense to
have influence and an investment in their
education today.
Endeavour Partnership are hosting a
number of networking events, designed to
bring educators and businesses together
and encourage collaboration for the
benefit of all. If you would like to receive
an invitation, please contact Business
Development Manager Louise Gilbey
[email protected]
How has The
Endeavour Partnership
LLP contributed to
student engagement?
Endeavour Partnership is a
business law firm providing purely
commercial legal services to SMEs,
businesses, and larger organisations
from its offices in Stockton on Tees
and it has a strong local ethos.
Three of the four current trainee
solicitors sampled work experience
with Endeavour Partnership before
being offered training contracts.
There are also solicitors within
the firm that arrived for work
experience, were offered a training
contract, and subsequently qualified
into the practice, demonstrating
the commitment that Endeavour
Partnership has of nurturing law
students that are local to the area.