Member Article

Team appointed to establish Careers Hubs in Coventry & Warwickshire

A highly-experienced team has been appointed to improve careers support for schools and colleges throughout Coventry and Warwickshire.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) led the bid to establish Careers Hubs in Coventry and Warwickshire which were launched by the Careers & Enterprise Company as part of 20 across England following funding from the Department for Education.

The Warwickshire Careers Hub will be integrated with Warwickshire County Council’s Skills for Employment Programme to provide a co-ordinated approach to careers activity in the county.

Gemma Gathercole, Productivity & Skills Executive Officer at the CWLEP, will lead the team which will meet every school and college in the area at least once every half-term.

Matt Alvarez has been appointed Careers Hub lead and Emma Carty and Steph Parker as senior enterprise co-ordinators. Emma Culey, who is part-funded by Think Higher Coventry & Warwickshire, has been appointed as an enterprise co-ordinator, joining Dave Lennox, whose post is part-funded by the CWLEP Growth Hub.

Gemma said the team would be developing close working relationships with schools and colleges to have a greater impact on careers support for students. “The Careers Hubs in Coventry and Warwickshire are important because they are part of a national careers strategy that schools and colleges have a responsibility to deliver,” she said.

“There is already good practice in the region but we want to build on the number of benchmarks that our schools and colleges have been challenged to achieve against the Gatsby Benchmarks which are eight guidelines that define the best careers provision.

“These have demonstrated that there is a need for additional support to ensure that where there is good practice already, we share it and where there are under-performing areas, we need to work together to address any shortfalls and work with schools and colleges to help them improve.

“Our team, who all have a great deal of experience in partnership working, will be meeting every two weeks as part of our co-ordinated approach to share our knowledge and understanding so that we identify the support we can bring and understand the current needs of schools and colleges.

“This support is free to schools and colleges in Coventry and Warwickshire and we will be using the data we collect to plan a strategic approach throughout the 12-month programme.

“The Careers Hubs are vital in helping to provide young people with the support they need to make informed choices about their futures.”

Marion Plant OBE, who is principal and CEO of North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College and chair of the CWLEP’s Productivity and Skills Business Group, added: “Careers Hubs will have a major impact on preparing young people for the world of work so that they have the information they need to make informed decisions about their future.

“It is also important we equip young people with the skills that employers need and the new Careers Hubs will continue the great work which is already being carried out by schools and colleges throughout Coventry and Warwickshire.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .