Representatives from the Department for Education and the Careers and Enterprise Company paid a visit to Lincolnshire to observe a system-wide approach to delivering the primary school careers-related learning pilot programme Start Small; Dream Big.
The visit, which was facilitated by the Greater Lincolnshire Careers Hub, started at Hemswell Cliff Primary School where Careers-Related Learning Lead Rachael Warren shared her experiences and gave some insights into the programme’s impact.
The delegation also got to observe an employer encounter session led by AMP Rose, a Gainsborough firm that manufactures machines for wrapping and packaging sweets and other foods.
The session aimed to raise awareness among young people of local industry opportunities and inspire them to consider engineering, manufacturing, robotics and coding as a possible career in the future.
The visitors next travelled to Mercer’s Wood Academy in Gainsborough to learn about collaborative efforts between the Careers Hub, local authority partners like Lincolnshire County Council and West Lindsey District Council, and employers such as the NHS Lincolnshire Training Hub.
They were joined by 30 other individuals who have also had an involvement in supporting the Start Small; Dream Big programme in Greater Lincolnshire.
The day ended with a STEM activity delivered by representatives from the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and STEP Programme, a project to develop energy from nuclear fusion based at West Burton on the River Trent in Nottinghamshire.
This session provided students with hands-on experience and demonstrated the value of STEM education in fostering future career aspirations. The STEP Programme is likely to create a wide range of high-skill jobs in physics, engineering, project management and much more.
“The visit was a resounding success, and it was a privilege to showcase the incredible work being done through our Start Small; Dream Big programme,” said Alex Nightingale, Operational Hub Lead at the Greater Lincolnshire Careers Hub.
“It not only highlighted the immediate impact of our partnership approach with local authorities but also showcased the scale of support from our local employers, demonstrating their commitment to shaping the future of our young learners.
“Hopefully this greater visibility will encourage the DfE to invest more resources into similar initiatives,” Alex added. “With additional funding, schools can enhance and expand their careers-related learning programmes, providing even more students with opportunities to explore diverse career paths from an early age.”
Chris Fitzpatrick, Headteacher at Mercer’s Wood Academy, said: “I felt that it was important to bring attention to the degree of challenge that schools, particularly those in more deprived areas, are facing. It is so important that we act now in order to reverse a worrying trend. This event was an important part of that action.”
Angie Waplington, Gainsborough Aspiration Project Lead at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “The visit was an excellent opportunity to showcase both the impact and the reach of the partnership between Gainsborough and district schools, West Lindsey District Council and the Greater Lincolnshire LEP’s Careers Hub.
“It demonstrated how much our primary schools value the Start Small; Dream Big project as a vehicle to embed careers-related learning as an integral part of the primary curriculum, inspiring our children and raising their aspirations.”
Shay Towns, Growth and Specials Project Officer at West Lindsey District Council, said: “It was an honour to contribute to a day in which we were able to showcase our partnership working between the district council, the LEP and the Gainsborough Aspiration Programme.
“The aspirational assemblies project has increased the number of employer encounters for the school children in the DN21 postcode area this year and helped embed the Start Small; Dream Big programme.
"Partnership work at its best has begun to help build dreams that kids remember. The children who gave their presentation to the room stole the show!”
The Greater Lincolnshire Careers Hub is delivered by the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership.
If you’re an employer and you’d like to engage more with primary or secondary schools in your area, send an email to LEP_ECS@lincolnshire.gov.uk.
