Grant to help educational initiative shine

An educational initiative is building stronger links between schools and local employers to boost opportunities for young people.

The Endeavour Convening Partnership, set up by Endeavour Academies Trust, in Middlesbrough, has received £22,200 from the Let Teachers SHINE competition to launch a network connecting schools with local businesses across industries including renewables, tech, manufacturing and retail.

Focusing on five subject areas – maths, science, ICT, engineering and business studies – the project aims to align vocational teaching with real-world careers. 

It will also provide teacher training on regional job trends and offer students practical experience, from interview preparation to business skills.

Phil Latham, project lead and chief executive of Endeavour Academies Trust, said: “The purpose of the project is to address the complex social problems associated with the high number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) and improve their future prospects.

“Our goal with the partnership is to raise the social mobility of young people in Middlesbrough, inspire greater aspiration, and provide them with more opportunities to succeed.

“Each of the five subjects will have a link with a local firm and they will co-design elements of the 14-19 curriculum to reflect up-to-date developments with the relevant company and industry.

“One teacher from each of the five vocational subjects will spend a day per term in a local business, and learn first-hand what skills students need.”

The Let Teachers SHINE competition, run annually by education charity SHINE, funds and supports promising educational innovations through development workshops and one-to-one mentoring. 

Since launching in 2012, it has backed projects including Times Tables Rock Stars, Hegarty Maths, Vocabulous and Boromi, benefiting millions of pupils nationwide.

Phil, whose initiative is one of nine to receive a share of more than £175,000 this year, is currently in discussion with the University of Teesside to help measure the impact of the project as it progresses. 

He added: “It’s a really valuable initiative.

“And we’re very indebted to SHINE for the support, because it’s going to be really instrumental in making this happen.” 

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