ADD2267 Explore Your Horizons 2018

The Enterprise Adviser Network (EAN) matches professional volunteers (Enterprise Advisers) with schools to develop a whole school careers and business engagement plan. The London network is supported by 3 full time Grade 8 Senior Enterprise Coordinators employed by the GLA’s Team London and is co-funded by the National network provider the Careers & Enterprise Company. Currently there are 133 schools and 189 Enterprise Advisers engaged in the London network across 18 London boroughs. In September 2018 the programme will expand and by 2020 the EAN will have representation in 80% London Secondary Schools and PRUs (pupil referral units), and 100% of FE (further education) colleges.

The original pilot proposal for the network was submitted in 2015 in partnership with the London
Economic Action Partnership (LEAP) (formerly London Enterprise Partnership) and the GLA Education and Youth Team. The project funding for academic years 15/16 and 16/17 came from the GLA’s Team London, the Careers & Enterprise Company and the Minor Programmes GLA budget. The 17/18 funding came from the Careers & Enterprise Company and the LEAP. The receipt and expenditure of this previous funding was covered in MD2124, MD1559 and MD1661. DD2142 approved receipt of the LEAP funding which will be used for EYH 2018.

The Enterprise Adviser Network supports schools to deliver the wider London Ambitions strategy, supported by the GLA Education and Youth Team, GLA Economic and Business Policy Unit and the London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP). Team London was commissioned by the former London Enterprise Panel (LEP) to deliver this programme on behalf of the GLA and Team London feeds in to the London Ambitions Advisory Group.

We seek approval for expenditure of £13,000 to deliver the annual ‘Explore Your Horizons’ school event. During the day, up to 250 Year 9 and Year 10 students, from Enterprise Adviser Network schools, will have the chance to network with up to 250 business professionals from hundreds of different industries across London. This will help them to find out more about the thousands of career options available to them. Up to 20 Young Event Volunteers from the Team London HeadStart programme will also be in attendance alongside Team London staff to work with the students and help deliver the event.

The objective of the event is to;

• • Support schools to inspire their young people to consider the range of opportunities available to them by allowing them to discover different types of jobs, sectors, pathways in to employment and ultimately to support them to make informed career choices.
  • Provide students with increased number of employer encounters with up to 10 different employers.
  • Provide teachers with opportunities to find out first hand from businesses the career pathways and opportunities available to their young people.
  • Provide business employees from all sectors with an opportunity to volunteer with young people and give them access to external providers offering similar opportunities in the future.

We expect to meet the following KPIs;

Goods and services will be procured using the GLA governance rules. Should we need to enter a contract we will work with TFL procurement and complete a competitive exercise to ensure that value for money is sought and governance rules are followed.

These initiatives will uphold the GLA’s commitment to Equality and Diversity, and will have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty. Team London volunteering projects aim to ensure that all Londoners can access volunteering opportunities, ensuring equality to those possessing protected characteristics and indeed by doing so support other Londoners equally throughout the city.

Our projects particularly promote equal life chances; reducing barriers to social mobility, demonstrating improvements in social integration and effective community engagement. This will involve working with young people, under-represented and disconnected Londoners to advise and educate them, better equipping them for entering the world of work.

The event is open to all secondary schools across the Enterprise Adviser Network, of which there are 112 across 18 boroughs. Schools are asked to select young people who will benefit the most. We have reviewed schools prior to selection to allow for children from varied backgrounds to take part. Pupils from multiple London boroughs will participate, ensuring a diverse representation of race, disability, gender, religion or belief and economic background. In particular, schools are encouraged to select young people who are at risk of under achieving academically or have not previously taken part in opportunities like this, to motivate and inspire them, and to advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic. Ultimately this event will support young people attending to break down barriers by informing them of the different options available to them.

The event will also inform better social integration and understanding between education leaders, business volunteers and young people; supporting a better understanding of challenges within education for businesses and a greater understanding of the world of work and changing employment landscape for teachers and students and will foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.

The key risks and issues, including mitigation, are outlined below;

Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities

“Explore Your Horizons” is targeted at young people from across a broad range of London’s secondary schools. The event will contribute towards;

1. 1. Working with schools to improve careers advice and to promote opportunities for children to get an early start in career skills such as coding or engineering – and making sure all such advice and programmes are gender blind, creating equal opportunities for boys and girls.
   2. Improving provision of careers advice in schools through the Enterprise Adviser Network, supporting the Skills for Londoners taskforce in developing an all age careers offer and promoting pathways such as apprenticeships
   3. Supporting businesses to develop their future talent pipeline, particularly within STEM and Construction, Digital and Creative industries.
   4. Ensuring that communities across London have access to training, and that from a young age both girls and boys are encouraged to explore the skills they need to get on in the future economy.
      

Impact assessments and consultations.

The event is being held to support schools to improve their careers provision, as well as provide young people with an opportunity to learn more about different sectors and the world of work. Education and Employers Taskforce research finds an 86% reduction in the chance of young people being not in employment, education or training (NEET) following 4 or more encounters with the world of work (Dr Anthony Mann, Education & Employers Taskforce, 2017). This event responds to the research, by giving the schools a platform to allow their young people to meet representatives from across a range of sectors, industries and experience. Following this event the young people in attendance will have received approximately 10 such encounters with business volunteers from a range of occupations and industries.

The event also supports schools to work towards the London Ambitions recommendation of providing young people with 100 hours of “experiences of the world of work”.

After last year’s “UK’s Largest Speed Networking Event for Young People” we consulted with relevant stakeholders such as the CEC and prior participants and requested feedback through questionnaires and surveys. The event format was changed this year based on the feedback received. The main changes are outlined below;

1. 1. Business volunteers and Team London staff reported that the content and format of the event did not suit the Year 8 students in attendance last year as many were too young to engage. We have reverted to the original year groups of Year 9 and 10 students for whom the event is most relevant.
   2. We have streamlined the event to focus exclusively on the speed networking element of the event to maximise the input from the volunteers and ensure the students are able to meet a greater range of volunteers.
   3. We have added three sector specific talks, spaced throughout the day, to focus on the key sectors of Construction, Digital and Creative.
   4. We have changed the marketplace to focus on showcasing alternative volunteering opportunities with young people for the business volunteers in attendance. This should help volunteering organisations capitalise on good will and enthusiasm of the 250+ volunteers in attendance, many of whom may be volunteering with a young person for the first time.

We will use a number of qualitative and quantitative metrics to capture impact of the event on all stakeholders.

The expenditure of up £13,000 will be funded from the 2018-19 Enterprise Advisers budget, within the Team London and Sport Unit.