Construction and the Built Environment

Jason Baxter, Employer Engagement Advisor, Norfolk Education Business Exchange
Andy Williams, Consortium Lead, Extended Rural Norfolk Federation Consortium
Sally Spaworth, Leeds Chambers of Commerce
Jon Hinson, Operations Manager and Employer Ambassador , Carillion, Leeds

Jason Baxter, Employer Engagement Advisor, Norfolk Education Business Exchange: All of the EBPs across the country have a massive database of employers. And they are probably your first, your one stop shop as we say.

Narrator: The EBPO, or Educational Business Partnership Organisation, has played a central role in helping the Extended Rural Norfolk Federation Consortium engage with small and medium-size enterprises.

Andy Williams, Consortium Lead, Extended Rural Norfolk Federation Consortium: I think one of the issues from the employers' point of view is that they will get a number of calls from schools wanting them to help, not just employer engagement for Diploma, but for work experience, for young apprenticeships placements and so on. I think the critical thing in terms of approaching employers is that you don't get everybody bombarding them.
So people like the Education Business Partnership have got a really important role, both in promoting the Diploma and in terms of making initial contacts. It's meant that they've been able to build up a relationship on our behalf with a number of the employers.

Narrator: Jason Baxter is tasked with the job of contacting employers for the Extended Rural Norfolk Federation Consortium.

Jason Baxter: Yeah we were contacting employers across the county, letting them know all about what the Diplomas are all about and ways in which the partnerships may contact them.

Narrator: At the Leeds Chamber of Commerce, Sally Spaworth contacts employers on a regular basis to discuss possible engagement with the Diploma programme.

Sally Spaworth, Leeds Chambers of Commerce: We have 3000 members of the Leeds Chamber, so it makes it quite easy to - 'cos you've got the contacts already to ring.

Narrator: When Sally began contacting employers, she found there was a lack of understanding of the Diploma, so she knew she had to raise awareness.

Sally Spaworth: I created a leaflet, to make it really simple and easy for employers to actually go through that and make sure that they understand what the Diploma is. So it's really just explaining it in three easy steps, you know showing what the different levels are, why the Diploma's come about through government, why it's a good idea and just the benefits really that it is to their company. What's the benefit to them getting involved with the Diploma.
What I tend to do is just say look we'll fit round you, you know give as much or as little as you want to and usually I set up a meeting. When they've decided what activities or what projects they've got coming up on their calendar we set a meeting up between the teachers and the businesses. So I'm like a link between the two.

Narrator: As well as working with the Chamber of Commerce, the Leeds consortium uses a brokerage model. Leading infrastructure and building services company, Carillion, works very closely with the education sector in promoting employer engagement. This is coordinated by the employer's ambassador, Jon Hinson.

Jon Hinson, Operations Manager and Employer Ambassador , Carillion, Leeds: A good way for teachers to contact employers such as ourselves, to engage with us and help them deliver the learning outcomes is directly. We don't - we would encourage teachers to contact us directly, to ask us to get involved. The kind of information that teachers need to come to us with when they're looking to engage with us is basically, explain what your needs are, tell us what you want us to get involved with. We can help the teachers and engage with them to make sure that the material that they need to deliver the learning outcomes is there and we can provide practical examples of that teaching material, through photographs, through web based facilities, through visiting our projects.

Narrator: The Extended Rural Norfolk Federation Consortium is well aware of their challenge to contact employers in an area which doesn't have a large number of businesses.

Jason Baxter: A lot of it is the old desktop research, sitting there with a phone book and going through the names. Again, the other part of it is using the internet search sites, I'd say.

Andy Williams: A lot of things in a rural area are done on word of mouth and you can have your management committees and you can have all the structures you like, but actually you've got to get out and talk to these people and make them understand what it is you're trying to do. And as we've gone out and asked people to do that they've said yeah this is really good we want to be involved in that.

Narrator: They have also used the learners as a resource.

Jason Baxter: The young people themselves are actually a very, very good resource in that the young people themselves tend to have relatives who are involved in particular strands of industry, or they know friends of the family who can help out. So it's your own sort of immediate personal networking contacts that's always a good sign - or a good start to make.
But equally it's school governors as well.

Narrator: Before contacting the employers, Jason ensures his message is clear.

Jason Baxter: The message we're getting through to employers is it's not just about offering more work experience, which is the traditional employer engagement style of event. And we're saying to employers, you know come into schools, come into colleges and talk about what you do and what your company does and to tell your story.

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