Speakers for Schools hosts Labour Party roundtable on skills in Nottingham
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Social mobility charity Speakers for Schools partnered with the Labour Party to deliver a skills roundtable event in Nottingham.
On Thursday 26th January, Stephen Morgan, Shadow Minister for Schools, engaged with leading local employers from Speakers for Schools’ network, along with young people from nearby schools. Dr Elnaz Kashef, Head of Research & Policy chaired the discussion.
Participating employers included Boots, Microlise, Faithful + Gould/SNC Lavalin Group, Minerals Matter and Treat Kitchen. The forum also heard from students from The Carlton Academy.
The session forms part of a series of discussions taking place across the country to inform the Labour Party Skill Council’s upcoming Skills Report and its overarching strategy.
The purpose of this roundtable with Speakers for Schools was to discuss the skills and experiences young people need before transitioning out of education and into the world of work. Specifically, they discussed the Council’s proposals for school curriculum design, work experience and other career opportunities to build essential skills, and how stronger links between young people and employers can be built.
Stephen Morgan MP, Shadow Minister for Schools, comments:
“It is vital that we build a schools system that ensures that young people are ready for life and the world of work.
“I was delighted to speak with local businesses, school leaders and students in Nottingham to hear their experiences on what they’d like to see change to ensure children now and in the future are equipped with the skills needed to succeed.”
Dr Elnaz Kashef, Head of Research & Policy at Speakers for Schools, comments:
“Creating opportunities for young people is fundamental to our mission as a charity and we are pleased to support young people, educators and employers based across Nottingham in sharing their experiences with Stephen Morgan MP.
“This roundtable was a valuable opportunity to support the development of a skills strategy focused on achieving improved outcomes for young people. It will help shape our recently launched campaign, seeking to ensure every student in England can access meaningful work experience before leaving school or college. We believe opportunities like work experience should be a key pillar of any skills strategy.”
James, aged 18 politics students from Carlton Academy said:
“The lack of exposure to working life has affected my confidence and I was so surprised to learn that employers are just as nervous as I am about work experience. Employers lack the resources to host us, and I think legislation is needed to support and attract young people into the working world.”
Kathy, Head of Post-16 at Carlton Academy said:
“This roundtable event has been really useful for our politics students to see how decisions are made at a regional and national level and to give them a voice. I have learned about the challenges employers face and how students feel going into the workplace, which I hadn’t expected. Speakers for Schools is a really useful organisation.”
In Autumn last year, Speakers for Schools launched a national campaign to make work experience a fundamental right of state-educated young people in England, after its research found that only a third of 18-30 year olds can recall doing it, and with declining participation rates.
The charity has ramped up its work experience provision over recent years, championing online work experience for its removal of geographical and financial barriers that often prevent work experience from being undertaken. The social mobility charity has a network of 1300 employers and 1500 speakers across the UK.
To find out more, please visit: https://www.speakersforschools.org/
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