Firms and schools urged to back new Teacher Encounters programme
Schools and businesses across the region were today urged to sign up for a special scheme which gets teachers in the workplace – and help build on the success of this year’s programme.
Six schools and two colleges took part in Teacher Encounters events staged by the Marches Careers Hub at Shrewsbury and Telford Health Trust, Breedon’s Leaton Quarry and Aico this year – helping break down barriers between the classroom and the world of work.
Now the careers hub, which co-ordinates the events across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin, wants more businesses and schools to take part across the coming academic year to grow the programme.
Andriané Usherwood-Brown, strategic careers hub lead, said: “We’ve had a very successful first full year of the Teacher Encounters programme, with three employers staging events and some tremendous feedback from both the companies themselves and teachers who took part.
“There is no doubt that giving teachers the opportunity to see real workplaces and talk directly to employers about the kind of jobs they offer can really inform careers advice in schools.
“We would love to hear from more employers who are happy to invite teachers into their workplaces to show them how they work – and want more schools to take up the fantastic opportunities the programme can provide.”
Breedon welcomed a party of teachers to its quarry at Leaton, near Wellington, during the summer to show them the range of jobs and opportunities on hand.
Early careers manager Ceri Travers said: “We were delighted to be involved in the Teacher Encounter Day where we welcomed 10 teachers from the Marches area to our Leaton Quarry.
“This was a fantastic opportunity for teaching staff to increase their knowledge, confidence and understanding of the labour market, pathways and skills needed in the industry. It gave us the opportunity to widen our reach within education to maximise impact and support development of their future talent pipeline.
“This type of initiative means that we can collaborate and support young people in becoming work ready and enhance their understanding of local opportunities.”
Liam Frances, strategic lead for careers education at Oswestry’s Marches School said: “The Teacher Encounters programme offers a fantastic opportunity for schools to engage with businesses and enable teaching staff to participate in tailored continued professional development for their subject out in industry.”
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.
Interested schools and employers should contact Andrianne at Andriane.Usherwood-Brown@shropshire.gov.uk to register an interest in the events planned for the 2024/25 school year.
