Environmental and Land-based Studies

Sharon Kirby, Diploma Line Lead, Lincolnshire East and the Wolds Consortium
Judith Wilkinson, Assistant Head Teacher, King Edward VI Humanities College
Margaret Reeve, Head Teacher, King Edward VI Humanities College
Joanna Jeffery, Diploma Line Lead, Dorset Consortium
Nigel Smith, Diploma Line Lead, Solihull and the West Midlands Consortium

Narrator: Once a consortium has agreed on its overall vision for the Diploma, consortium members need to develop and implement an effective employer engagement strategy.

Sharon Kirby, Diploma Line Lead, Lincolnshire East and the Wolds Consortium: What we decided was that right from the word go we would involve the employers in the bid writing. We have to be flexible with the employers and the good thing about the Diploma is we are aware of their needs, because we follow that pattern as well in our own curriculum. So we know that in the springtime they are going to be busy, so we will try and adapt how we utilise them to follow their seasons as well.

Narrator: While further education institutions often have a long history of employer engagement, schools typically have less. Sharon has ensured that staff from King Edward VI Humanities College are actively involved in the development of the consortium's employer engagement strategy.

Judith Wilkinson, Assistant Head Teacher, King Edward VI Humanities College: Our strategy is to make sure that we've got a good relationship with the local employers, involve them as much as possible in the governing body, make sure that we invite them into schools. That they understand and know what we're doing, that we're communicating with them.

Margaret Reeve, Head Teacher, King Edward VI Humanities College: To engage employers in the first instance, what we've tried to do is to say what's in it for them.

Narrator: There are additional considerations to be included in the development of an employer engagement strategy.

Judith Wilkinson: Before any employer engagement takes place, we are going to need to make sure that the employers are fully aware of what the Diploma actually includes, such as functional skills, personal learning and thinking skills. We need to help them understand how these are skills that need to be applicable actually in the workplace and not just something that's academic and done in college.

As we have different levels of learners accessing the Diploma, both foundation and higher level learners, we will need to ensure that when, for example, they all go and visit the same farm or the same agricultural industry that they will have different learning objectives set according to their learning needs and according to the levels that they need to be working at.

Narrator: In Dorset the consortium will be building on existing good practice in its development of a successful employer engagement strategy.

Joanna Jeffery, Diploma Line Lead, Dorset Consortium: We've had a very successful 14 plus practical learning programme and we've had quite a lot of employer engagement in that. And what we're trying to do now is translate those employers into employers for the Diploma. People that we can go and visit, where we can get some really good quality training and experiences for our Diploma learners.

What we're seeing with the Diplomas is that the functional skills are becoming more embedded within the learning and we're seeing that the personal learning and thinking skills become more significant. So, for instance, with team working it doesn't just happen haphazardly, it is planned for and the students know what to expect in how a good team works together.

Narrator: The Solihull and West Midlands Consortium will be building on existing good practice in its development of a successful employer engagement strategy. Including continued effective communication and logistical solutions.

Nigel Smith, Diploma Line Lead, Solihull and the West Midlands Consortium: With Solihull schools and colleges, we've had a common timetable for the last four years. And once the Diploma starts this will continue, so enable us to do trips with different schools and colleges all on the same day.

Narrator: Nigel has weekly meetings with Sue McGregor, the Quality Manager, to make sure the consortium's employer engagement strategy is on track and being developed appropriately.

Nigel Smith: To ensure that we have all areas of employers covered, not only will we use all the ones we've got now but we'll get into touch with Business Link, the Chamber of Commerce to actually get as many different strands, you know, of employers that will be useful for our Diploma, that we can possibly find.

The key thing about this is actually communication with all employers and consortium members. And that will actually make sure that we seamlessly deliver the Diploma at the start of September 2010

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