Stuart shares this latest news on behalf of the Solent LEP. Ed
At its 2019 Summer Careers Summit held on Friday 12 July, the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) invited educators and employers to learn more about the success and achievements of its Solent East Careers Hub, and announced its vision for the new Solent West & Isle of Wight Careers Hub launching this September.
New Careers Hub
In May, it was announced that the Solent LEP had successfully applied to establish a second Careers Hub for the area, which would enable it to provide career education support to every secondary school, sixth form and college in the Solent region.
Through its existing Hub, the Solent LEP supports 34 secondary schools and colleges with careers education support, and is working to partner each with a volunteer Enterprise Adviser who is recruited from a local business and works closely with educators to prepare young people for the world of work.
Southampton, Eastleigh, the New Forest and the Isle of Wight
The second Careers Hub aims to provide this support to the secondary schools and colleges in the West of the area, covering Southampton, Eastleigh, the New Forest and the Isle of Wight.
Solent LEP will be providing extra resource to ensure that the educational institutions develop effective careers programmes, whilst building sustainable links with local businesses.
Showcasing opportunities
This year’s summit, held at the Solent Hotel, Whiteley, included talks by representatives from the Solent LEP’s lead schools for each hub: Alex Blandford of UTC Portsmouth for Solent East, and Jake Collings of Wildern School for Solent West and IOW.
Graham Allward, Early Careers Coordinator, at Saab Seaeye, and Mette Soderberg, Vice President of Technology Product Management at Carnival UK, also took to the stage to speak about developments in the workplace and how students can be better prepared for their future careers with greater collaboration between education and local employers.
Randall: Testament to passion of Enterprise Advisers
Rachael Randall, Solent LEP Business Director and education lead (pictured), said:
“One of our key aims for this year’s summit was to showcase best practice with regard to linking careers into the curriculum. We are incredibly proud of the success of the Solent East Careers Hub and the feedback it receives.
“It really is a testament to the amazing work and passion of our network of volunteer Enterprise Advisers, who help us to deliver a comprehensive and successful careers support programme into schools and colleges.
“We were delighted to present our vision for our second Careers Hub, which will enable us to support thousands more young people to achieve their potential and for businesses to meet their skills needs.”
Swieton: Thought-provoking Summit
David Swieton, Employment and Skills Plan Coordinator, Southampton City Council, said:
“The Careers Summit was very informative on how strategic policies will influence our work on the ground. Meeting people involved in the day-to-day delivery of careers provision was very thought-provoking.
“This is supporting us in our aim to work collaboratively with potential partners in the city and wider Solent area.”
Innovative event
Teachers attending the event called it innovative and described being highly motivated by the discussions and presentations.
Jo Brooks from Aligned HR, who volunteers as an Enterprise Adviser, added:
“This is my second Careers Summit – both occasions were really inspiring and it is energising to have careers leaders, Enterprise Advisers, LEP staff, stakeholders and industry sharing knowledge and expertise.”
The summit comes as new research, carried out on behalf of The Gatsby Foundation and The Careers & Enterprise Company, reveals that careers guidance for young people has improved over the last two years. Read the full report here.
