Teacher Encounters to help boost careers education

Teachers are being given the chance to get hands-on experience at workplaces across the region as part of a new scheme to boost links between education and the world of work. 

The Marches Careers Hub’s Teacher Encounters programme gives teachers the chance to get out of the classroom and spend time with businesses at their own premises. 

Andriané Usherwood-Brown, Strategic Careers Hub lead, said the scheme – which gets under way with three briefing sessions for employers later this month – would bring benefits to everyone involved. 

“This is a fantastic opportunity for teachers to increase their knowledge, confidence and understanding of the labour market, the different pathways into work and the skills needed to grow the economy. 

“At the same time, Teacher Encounters will also give employers the opportunity to widen their reach within education and boost the development of their future talent pipeline. 

“A national pilot project found strong support for teacher encounters amongst both teachers and employers and we believe the programme will have a strong impact in bridging the gap between education and the workplace. 

“We would urge any employer who wants to support the programme to register for any of our three online briefing sessions, being held on January 25 at Noon, January 30 at 1pm and February 5 at 10am.” 

Under the programme, Teacher Encounters will be offered to curriculum staff and careers leads from schools and colleges across Herefordshire, Shropshire, and Telford & Wrekin from March to July.  

Encounter sessions will range from half a day to a full day and give teachers the opportunity to experience current industry practice, deepen their knowledge of present and future career opportunities and the skills needed for different roles, and broaden their understanding of the range of pathways into work. 

The hub – which is delivered by the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership for the Careers and Enterprise Company in partnership with Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin councils – works to transform careers education by linking education and training providers with the business community. 

Marches LEP chief executive Rachel Laver said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for teachers to get out of the classroom and into workplaces to get a real taste of the world of work. 

“Teacher Encounters can play a vital role in young people receiving high quality employer-informed education that supports them in their career choices development and helps them make informed decisions about their next best steps.”