Over 75 employers attended the Greater Lincolnshire Careers Hub’s second event at Hemswell Court Hotel to hear the impact and benefits of working with schools.

The Careers Hub, delivered by the Greater Lincolnshire LEP, is one of a network of Careers Hubs across the country and supports 122 local secondary schools and colleges, helping facilitate partnerships with employers. This is made possible with funding from organisations including Lincolnshire County Council, North Lincolnshire Council, North East Lincolnshire Council and the Humber Outreach Programme (HOP). 

The event, which took place on 23rd February at Hemswell Court Hotel near Gainsborough, was open to any Greater Lincolnshire employer who wanted to learn more about engaging with local schools and colleges. 

Employers who attended the event got to hear from LEP CEO Ruth Carver and had an update on the Careers Hub from lead Lee Douglas before also hearing from local school St Lawrence Academy. 

“When we started to deliver this scheme just over four years ago, we did not expect that so many busy people would be willing to volunteer, so I’m delighted to see so many local employers here today, giving up their time to help our young people realise their ambitions,” said Ruth Carver. 

Ryan Oates, PE teacher and Personal Development Lead at the St Lawrence Academy in Scunthorpe, presented on the benefits of working with schools, how to measure the impact and how to overcome barriers to ensure success. Students from the academy also attended and had the chance to share what they would like to see from a careers programme and their future career goals. 

Ryan Oates said: “I’m so proud of our students today. It was a brilliant experience for them and wonderful to see them so engaged and confident with the employers in the room.” 

Ayse Inal, Content Creator at BeamOut Studios, attended the event and said: “We got to speak with some of the delightful pupils from St Lawrence Academy, who were far more confident and mature than we were at that age! 

“On the back of the event we are hatching some plans to see how we can give students a taste of entrepreneurial life in the world of video production.” 

Other presentations took place throughout the morning with Katrina Pierce, Development Manager Lincolnshire at the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), explaining Local Skills Improvement Plans in detail. Jenny Longstaffe, Business Development Manager at Complete Careers, also gave an overview of communicating with young people in schools. 

You can find out more about working with schools and becoming an Enterprise Adviser here. To keep up to date with Careers Hub news and events sign up to our newsletter here.