Bank of America Merrill Lynch Education Award

Recognises companies who are taking action in education to raise the attainment and aspirations of young people by building sustainable partnerships with schools for the benefit of pupils aged 5-19 years in the UK.

Business in the Community have been leaders in the field of corporate social responsibility for over 28 years, with 80% of our members identifying that education is the key way in which they want to invest in their communities. Business engagement with schools and colleges delivers real tangible benefits for all, students, teachers and the business. The challenge is not to convince government, business and the education world that this engagement is a success but to dramatically raise the impact and scale of education – business links in both primary and secondary schools.

The Awards for Excellence showcase and celebrate those quality partnerships that ensure young people find increased motivation and subject relevance, gain insights into the world of work, and increase their work-related and entrepreneurial skills. They also recognise the business benefits such as improved employee motivation, advocacy and licence to operate that come with truly sustainable and holistic partnerships.

Aims of the category: Business in the Community supports the recommendations and framework set out by the National Council of Education Excellence in 2008, stating that companies can have the greatest impact on the attainment, aspirations and achievements of young people, when they support and develop:

• School leadership including governance and teacher professional development
• Basic literacy, numeracy and life skills including knowledge of the world of work
• Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths
• Enterprise education and employability skills

Companies will need to demonstrate how, through one or more of the interventions outlined above, they have created and sustained strategic partnerships with schools within the UK. Companies should demonstrate a commitment of at least one year to their programme and have demonstrable impacts against their specific targets for both the business and the education partner.

To learn about previous winners of this award please click here.