Why Business Class
Vocational qualifications, apprenticeships, work related learning, enterprise education and work experience are all elements of mainstream education which put business at the heart of pupils’ experiences. Schools want and need business involvement.
As part of the Business Class process schools are asked to assess their needs before collaborating with their partner organisation to design a tailor made response. This allows each school’s unique needs and requirements to be met while allowing the business to play to their strengths and meet their own objectives.
You need the latest Flash installed and Javascript enabled to view media on this page. Please ensure Javascript has been enabled in your browser settings. You can download Flash with the link below.
Get Flash Player now
There are a whole range of partnership opportunities for businesses wanting to support education. Whatever approach is taken, the most successful programmes are conceived, planned and delivered in partnership with the participating schools.
Business Benefits
- Work to improve pupils’ educational outcomes helps to ensure the availability of a skilled future workforce. Schemes addressing specific skills shortages or providing work experience can even provide direct paths into employment.
- Engaging with schools gives you an opportunity to improve your company’s standing in the local community. A school’s reach goes beyond teachers and pupils to parents, grandparents and extended families.
- Work with schools provides creative opportunities for staff development and can improve staff motivation. School projects are capable of delivering the same benefits as costly corporate training courses, but at a fraction of the cost.
- Employees of companies which support local schools report improved morale and enhanced loyalty to the company.
- Community work can also help with recruitment, helping the company to stand out from the crowd and making it more attractive to the best candidates.
- Creative staff development opportunities
- Positive PR and improved recruitment
School Benefits
- Independent research found that schools participating considered that the programme had improved students’ academic achievement by 38% and both schools and businesses thought the programme improved students’ employability by over 40%
- The same research found that both schools and businesses believed significant progress had been achieved in leadership and governance in schools. This can happen through head teacher or senior staff mentoring, having people from the business become governors or by providing opportunities for staff development.
- Businesses may also be able to provide practical advice on areas such as HR, IT, change and project management, marketing and communications and finance
- Engaging with a business can provide real life and up-to-date case studies and examples for use across the curriculum
- Introducing business professionals to pupils provides different types of role models. Learning about diverse types of employment opportunities and career paths can also motivate pupils.
- Business can support pupils through acting as mentors and providing guidance. They might also be able to offer innovative solutions to address attendance, punctuality and behaviour issues
- Through participating in a Business Class Cluster, schools have access to a broad range of businesses and can broaden the knowledge and opportunities offered to pupils
