GM Mayor Andy Burnham is looking for industry experts to advise schools and colleges

Guest blog by Bridge

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is growing Bridge GM as part of a mayoral priority to get Greater Manchester’s young people ‘work ready’… and they need you! The Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, wants the region to be successful and prosperous for future generations, stating “to do this we need to nurture the talents of our young people and connect and prepare them for the exciting opportunities in the labour market”. The purpose of the Bridge GM is to create those powerful, lasting connections between local businesses and the schools and colleges in our area to provide young people with a careers programme fit for the 21st Century.

Bridge GM need senior business volunteers, Enterprise Advisers (EA), to work strategically with school leadership teams to guide and influence the development and implementation of an effective careers programme, with employer encounters at its heart. Research shows that young people who have at least four employer encounters at school are 86% less likely to be NEET. In addition our businesses are telling us that they require increasingly different and specific skills in their employees and new recruits, creating gaps in the labour market. Becoming an EA enables you to have an impact on young people but also support education to understand the growing needs of industry.

In one Trafford school, the power and strategic influence of that two way partnership, between the school and EA, now means the curriculum has been expanded to include a rolling 6 week cycle of employer encounters for years 7-9!

From September 2018 headteachers and senior leaders at over 180 local schools and colleges, across all ten GM local authorities, will have access to strategic support from the team at Bridge GM. This work is complimented by an EA who is matched to one school or college and is fully supported by a member of the Bridge GM team. If you would like to find out more about connecting your business to schools in your area, or joining the Enterprise Adviser Network, please contact your local Bridge GM team member here.

What are the benefits of joining the Enterprise Adviser Network?

For businesses

• Inspire young people to raise aspirations, explore careers and gain meaningful experience of the world of work
• Support schools to provide enriching opportunities for young people to learn about the workplace and gain critical skills needed for employment
• Promote your business amongst local schools and colleges
• Connect to a network of key local influencers and raise your profile
• Become part of a national network that inspires and prepares young people for the world of work
• Contribute to your Corporate Social Responsibility strategy
• Leadership development opportunities for your employees

For individuals

• A chance to support your local school or college and wider community
• A skills-based leadership development opportunity
• An opportunity to access and develop local business networks

What makes a great Enterprise Adviser?

• Passionate about unlocking the potential and enhancing the future prospects of young people
• Committed to supporting a school or college for one academic year, eight hours per month
• Credible with the leadership team of a school or college
• Well connected within local business networks

How else can you get involved?

Additionally there are many other ways to get involved in schools if the Enterprise Adviser role isn’t for you/your business:

• Offering Inspiration
• Bring the curriculum to life
• Experiences of the work place
• Be a mentor
• Governance