Following the huge success of the Young Chamber programme as it enters a third year, and as Government changes to careers provision in secondary schools come into force in September 2018, Dorset Chamber has been approached by an additional 11 schools seeking to join the Young Chamber programme.
Since the Young Chamber launched in September 2016 to a big welcome from schools as well as businesses, 14 schools in Dorset have benefitted from the programme, which is also supported by Bournemouth University and British Chambers.
The Swanage School, Carter Community School, St Aldhelms Academy, Magna Academy, Gillingham School, Gryphon School, Avonbourne School and Harewood College, Bournemouth Collegiate School, Kingston Maurwood College and Corfe Hills School, all wish to join Young Chamber to benefit from the wide range of activities offered by the programme and are seeking sponsors from the business community to support this.
Young Chamber’s success is down to its ability to quickly identify business individuals and organisations from across the 700+ Dorset Chamber businesses in order to facilitate organised careers / curriculum related activity facilitated through a dedicated Young Chamber Coordinator.
Working with schools to deliver bespoke content into the classroom as well as supporting timetabled activities, Young Chamber is creative and pioneering in its approach. It works by drawing on the insight of Dorset Chamber business members to directly address, in the classroom, the needs of local employers from the next generation of Dorset’s workforce and ‘bridging the gap’ between education and the business community.
Ian Girling, Chief Executive at Dorset Chamber explains: “Following the success of Young Chamber we have seen an influx of schools wishing to be a part of the Young Chamber – testament to its success.
“In particular, we are being approached due to the changes regarding careers guidance provision from September in line with the Government’s Careers Strategy, launched in November last year. It requires schools to meet the national ‘Gatsby benchmarks’ relating to careers provision in schools and is the measurement by which improvement is measured*.”
As a part of Dorset Chamber, Young Chamber also works alongside other organisations actively working in education to provide improved careers support for students. The result is that Dorset has a cohesive approach to careers provision, an example of which is the Careers and Apprenticeship Show on September 26th 2018 at Bournemouth International Centre.
Organised by The Careers and Enterprise Company and Dorset Chamber, and supported by Young Chamber, Dorset LEP, Dorset County Council, Borough of Poole Council, Bournemouth Borough Council the National Collaboration Outreach Programme and Southern Universities Network, the Show is the first of its kind. It will give students – and their parents – the opportunity to make informed decisions about their futures through unprecedented access at a central location to employers looking at recruiting, companies offering apprenticeships, training providers, and young people currently in work, including apprentices currently studying and working towards a qualification.
Ian Girling adds: “Dorset Chamber’s Young Chamber programme has taken a lead in bridging the gap between business and education in Dorset. We are proud to be part of a unified approach to helping Dorset’s students prepare for future employment and there is no better time for a business to sponsor a school and help them benefit too.”
Young Chamber does not receive any public funding and is supported through the programme’s sponsor, Bournemouth University, as well as the individual sponsors of schools. The return on investment for sponsors is evaluated and demonstrated as part of the programme and Young Chamber works with a Steering Group representing Government, secondary education, business, young entrepreneurship, careers guidance and further education.
With the help of Dorset Chamber businesses, sponsorship pays for Young Chamber to organise careers and curriculum related talks, arrange visits to workplaces and industry for students, work with schools to support careers fairs and mock interviews, engage business people to provide the mock interviews, find mentors, help with work experience placements, promote governance in schools, sources specialists, provide ‘train the trainer’ events, and more.
Businesses wishing to know more about sponsorship or being part of the Young Chamber delivery programme can find out more at https://dorsetchamber.co.uk/young-chamber/
*Latest research from the Government shows areas of Dorset as ‘Cold Spots’. Gatsby Benchmarks are used to show improvements. Latest report: https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/sites/default/files/uploaded/updating_the_careers_cold_spots_report.pdf