The benefits to business of links with education
Why Marks and Spencer invests in education and training
‘We believe it’s vital to help with the development of young people in the community. People are our greatest asset, and as a leading retailer we want to help develop skills that can lead to future employment.’ - From Work Experience for Students: Guide for Stores. 2002
Boots Work Experience Policy Statement
‘Boots wishes to provide meaningful work experience placements to make a practical contribution to building a successful workforce of the future by helping young people improve their understanding of the world of work, develop and practice key skills and raise their motivation and attainment. As a major national employer we have a responsibility to support schools and the local community. We wish to offer our employees a rewarding opportunity for personal and professional development in managing and supervising students on work experience and to raise awareness of the opportunities within the company.’
Extract from Work Experience Guidelines for Stores 2003
A number of companies are building into their corporate policies the need to work with education. These links are most effective when they support the key goals or founding principles of the business. Some large businesses now employ staff whose responsibilities either include, or are solely committed to developing links with schools and colleges.
A small number of businesses have established, or support, learning centres where teachers and young people from local schools and colleges can visit to undertake activities that enable them to learn about the company. A number of small and medium size enterprises have developed special relationships with local schools. They have an important contribution to make to the development of education business links. In particular they are often located near the school and produce goods and services that are within the experience of young people. They are especially important in rural and inner city areas where it is difficult to develop partnerships with large companies.
Research by the DfES, and some education-business links organisations have identified specific business benefits cited by companies involved with schools. Individual organisations will have different priorities and the benefits often vary depending upon the type of activities supported by the business.
Investment in our future - British Airways
‘It is a key element of our business strategy that we are a good neighbour and working with the local community on education is the most effective route that we have found to drive towards that goal. We believe that programmes at our Learning Centre allow tomorrow’s citizens to better understand the role of aviation. Our programme adds value to the recruitment process by providing people with a clear view of the capabilities required by the industry as well as other businesses in the local area. In addition it improves relationships with local authorities and organisations which are essential to future planning. Our programmes aim to promote awareness of and interest in the key skills and qualifications required by the company in its future employees – e.g. Customer Services, Languages, ICT and business understanding.’
Mary Barry – Head of Community Relations
Staff recruitment and retention: - By building valuable bridges with local schools and colleges companies reduce the cost of recruitment and attract good recruits through an improved reputation. They also help to reduce staff turnover through building a positive work culture by giving staff the opportunity to ‘give something back to the community’.
Developing company culture: - Companies have found that work with schools and colleges helps to raise staff morale, increase staff loyalty, enthusiasm and commitment to the company Employees enjoy increased self-esteem and self-confidence and can become more motivated and responsible through sensing a greater degree of ownership of the business. Projects with schools and colleges bring openness, energy and excitement into the workplace and create positive working environments by building cooperation and teamwork across the organisation.
Robert Owen, General Manager, Siemens plc
Engineering can be fun! The problem we face are the countless myths and misconceptions about engineering that deter many young people from even considering what would be a challenging and enjoyable career. The GCSE in Engineering can help disprove those myths and show just what engineering has to offer.
Staff development and training: - Projects with schools and colleges provide exciting but low risk opportunities for business staff to develop skills and show leadership potential. They help staff develop competencies in innovation, problem solving, presentation and project management. They can help to improve communication, interviewing, coaching and teamwork skills and build the self-confidence and initiative of more junior staff. Some businesses have mapped staff involvement in education activities against the company competencies to show staff how their involvement can benefit their career development.
Innovation in products and operations: - Links with schools and colleges have helped generate ideas for successful new products and services, and produced innovative worthwhile suggestions for adapting operational, methods. Businesses have found projects with schools eased the process of managing change in their organisation. By promoting staff learning they enabled the company to introduce more ambitious strategies for future initiatives.
KPMG strongly supports links between major firms and schools, not only in general terms such as work experience, mentoring and community social responsibility, but increasingly in curriculum-related areas. We welcome the introduction of a wider range of GCSE subjects and in particular those which relate to vocational areas such as applied business. Like all GCSEs we believe this subject will appeal to candidates of all abilities and will provide a relevant addition to existing provision. Paul Lawrence – Education Manager KPMG
Mike Clasper – Chief Executive – British Airports Authority
BAA is committed to investing in the local communities that surround our airports. One of
the best ways of doing this, and adding real long term value to peoples’ lives, is through our education programme and we’ve worked hard with schools and Education Business Partnerships to develop an exciting and diverse range of packages for students and teachers. Part of our objective is to help young people gain knowledge of the aviation industry. But we also want to help them develop key skills by bringing the curriculum to life through work based learning. All communities need well motivated, rounded, skilled young people if they are to prosper in the future and business needs to recognise the essential part it can play in securing this.