Wates supports collaborative working within schools in Coventry through BITC’s Business Class Programme
In October 2010, Wates launched a Business Class partnership with Ernesford Grange School, Coventry. ‘Coventry Business Class’ is a Business in the Community initiative that has brought together Wates Construction, Jaguar Land Rover, Yorkshire Bank, University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire, Fusion and West Mercia Housing Group.
About Business Class
Developed by BITC, Business Class is a direct response to concerns expressed by schools about the ad hoc and short-term nature of many of the partnerships between businesses and schools within a highly challenging context: more than 1 in 6 young people in the UK leave school unable to read, write and add up properly, 14.5% of 16-24 year olds are NEET (not in Education, Employment and Training), and 1.8 million children live in workless households.
Research published this year showed that 85% of secondary heads thought that it was either very or extremely beneficial to have a business partnership to help address some of these challenges. However the report also highlighted the absence of sustained, strategic relationships between schools and their businesses partners.
National roll out of Business Class
Business Class is a powerful part of the solution. Developed in the North West in 2008, the programme was so successful that it has since been rolled-out across the North West and now clusters have been launched or are in development in 12 locations nationwide, including Coventry, where Wates - one of the UK’s largest family-owned construction services and development companies – is the sponsor.
Working in local clusters, businesses, including Wates, build three year partnerships with secondary schools that demonstrate the greatest need, developing bespoke long-term action plans rooted in the needs of the schools and providing skills, time and resources. The Coventry cluster was launched on 18th October, comprising six schools and six local employers including Wates, Jaguar Land Rover, West Mercia Housing, Fusion, Yorkshire Bank and University Hospital. Wates partners with Ernesford Grange School in Coventry and is currently putting together a programme for this academic year to encompass engagement across the age ranges, including interview skills, mentoring for disaffected students, construction programmes and work inspiration placements.
Impact of Business Class
In an evaluation of the Business Class model, Cass Business School praises its “holistic approach to creating partnerships between schools and businesses, combining many proven techniques into a single programme.”
The Cass research shows that Business Class has led to a 38% improvement in students’ academic achievement; 40% improvement in employability; and25% improvement in leadership and governance within participating schools;
As a direct result of Business Class, the study found a 23% improvement in meeting Corporate Responsibility objectives.
Encouragingly, given the starting point for the programme’s development, Business Class has also significantly increased optimism regarding the sustainability of school/ business partnerships, with schools reporting a 57% increase and Businesses a 32% increase.
Both schools and businesses thought Business Class had significantly contributed to achieving wider goals, each reporting improvements of well over 30%.
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