D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership is supporting National Careers week with a message to local employers to get involved with schools and colleges to think about how they can boost careers opportunities for young people.
National Careers Week takes place between the 7th and 12th of March 2022, encouraging education providers to bring together students, local employers and advisers through careers events and activities.
The week is a celebration of careers guidance and free resources in education across the UK. The aim is to provide a focus for careers guidance activity at important points in the academic calendar to help support young people leaving education.
With youth unemployment remaining high and employers citing that young people are ill prepared with the basic skills needed for employment, there has never been a more need for careers guidance to be promoted and celebrated in education. National Careers Week is a great platform to inform and inspire the next generation as they enter the world of work.
D2N2 Careers Hubs
The D2N2 LEP leads four careers hubs which provide 92,000 young people across Derby, Nottingham, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire with support to prepare them through the world of work.
Funded by the Careers and Enterprise Company, the Hubs bring together school staff, particularly those who lead on careers education, and provides them with additional support, resources and training for their schools to deliver “modern, 21st century careers education for every child, no matter their background or circumstance”.
The Careers Hub also links the region’s schools with employers, Further Education colleges and apprenticeship and in-work training providers, to make sure young people in the region know about the options available to them after they leave education, and the different jobs open to them.
“Joining the mentoring programme was one of the best decisions I’ve made”
Sarah* a student at Springwell Community College said: “During the lock down I felt lost, I didn’t know what I wanted to do or how I was going to get there. I saw Instagram influencers online and that’s what I thought normal was so I began to change what I looked like and how I spoke.
“Through the Careers Hub and my school, I was encouraged to join the mentoring scheme. I joined the programme and I can honestly say it was one of the best decisions I have made. I spent time with architects and designers who helped me re-focus and look at what I wanted to do in the future and how I was going to get there, I am now considering a career within either construction or engineering and I am looking to apply to college courses in the next few months.”
How to get involved
There are many ways businesses can get involved with D2N2 Careers Hubs, with opportunities on both an organisation based and individual contribution basis.
Give an hour
The Give an Hour campaign invites everyone to make a difference to the young people in your area by giving just an hour of your time by delivering careers related activities or hosting an inspiring experience at your workplace. Find out more.
Enterprise Adviser
Working with a local school or college, Enterprise Advisers can help support pathways into their industry and shape young people’s futures by bridging the gap between the world of work and education, working with the Careers Leader and wider senior leaders of the school or college to create opportunities for young people. Find out more.
Cornerstone Employer
Cornerstone Employer organisations work with D2N2, their business contacts and the wider business community to ensure all young people across the area have the opportunity to prepare for and feel inspired by the world of work. Find out more.
Case studies
Levelling-up in Mansfield and Ashfield
Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and Vision West Nottinghamshire College (WNC) have formed a partnership to deliver higher education from WNC’s main campus in Mansfield.
Colleges collaborate on universal digital skills
All eight colleges operational across D2N2 have collaborated to produce a universal digital skills module, to ensure all their students gain the basic digital skills needed for life and work.
On-site work experience from the classroom
Virtual programme gives students meaningful on-site work experience from the classroom during the pandemic.
Read more.
